Resurrection and Recall
by Spastic Dhampir
Summary: What should happen when D meets a young girl who knows nothing about vampires, werewolves, mutants, or even what she is? And what should happen when they reach her home town? R&R if desired. Re-done chapters up. Some fonts were messing up, so forgive me.
1. What a Quaint Little Meeting

**AN: **I _still_ explain too much. On the up side, I got rid of that big paragraph that explained what Krista looks like. Would you believe that it had 132 words?

**Disclaimer:** I do _**not**_ own anyone except Krista and towns. D, Hand, and the world belong to Hideyuki Kikuchi.

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**Resurrection and Recall**

**Chapter 1: What a Quaint Little Meeting**

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_October 27, 13,012_

Upon a steep hill, animals scurried to escape an unseen comer, some going to the extent of literally kicking other animals out of the other's home. By the time nearly all creatures were gone or hidden, a man came into view upon a black steed. The cloak he wore draped over the horse's flanks, billowing slightly in the gentle breeze. The man rode away from the setting sun, ignoring a gruff, disembodied voice.

"Hello; will you say something? I know that I am annoying, but haven't I been a helpful as well? Come on, you need to rest. You've been traveling for five days straight. The only time you rested was standing up and listening to that mayor just a few hours ago, and since then, you have been looking for her tracks," the voice said desperately. It gave out a huff of agitation when the rider did not respond. "Or maybe you would like to have a dirt nap. Those are _always_ fun when you are incapable of digging a hole for yourself."

The man briefly clutched his left hand. Pulling down the scarf that had been covering his face, he quickly pulled on the reins to his horse. His eyes scanned the landscape. After spotting nothing out of the ordinary, he continued his slow trot down the hill, not bothering to replace his scarf.

**000** (divider)

Up in a tall tree, a girl slept on a thick branch, her chest lightly rising and falling. Her eyes slowly fluttered open as the sound of hoof beats reached her ears, her lime orbs still clouded from her mind trying to pull out of her nightmares, or day-mares. As she went to move her blood colored hair from her view, her body ached in protest from what seemed to be physical abuse. It was as though her body were literally yelling, "Don't you dare put anymore of this junk on me. If something so much as _**pokes**_ me, I swear that you will **pay**!"

Her eyes stared in the direction that the rhythmical beats came from, each passing second increasing her fear of what or whom it was coming over the hill. "That's all I need right now is for those people to chase me around with rifles going ka-**blam**!" She nearly fell from the branch while acting out the part of shooting a rifle in spastic movements, barely managing catching herself. When she managed to pull herself up onto the branch again, she glanced down to the ground. '_That would have been a long fall_.'

The girl looked up in time to see the newcomer clearing the hill. The shadow covering his face dissipated shortly, allowing her a quick glance at his face before the shadow replaced itself. '_He's beautiful, but he is a man. Men are not supposed to be beautiful, are they? They are supposed to be handsome. On an off thought, he appears to have no gun, just a huge sword so that he can chop me up into little pieces, then probably eat me, and all the while say, "Mm, tastes like human chicken." Wait…from where did that come? I best not look too far into it. Boy, I am way too paranoid._' She laughed quietly at her vague thoughts, ceasing almost immediately when the man was only a few yards from her tree.

**000**

The man pulled his horse to a stop near the tree in which the girl resided. With his head turning slightly so he might look clearly in both directions, his eyes scanned the trees on both sides carefully. His gaze settled on one tree in particular after leaves fell and there was a light gasp; the girl had slipped trying to move back to a branch further from him. Gracefully dismounting the horse with a small flourish of his cloak, he slowly walked to the tree. Her panicked breathing thrummed loudly in his ears.

"W-what do you w-want?" stuttered the girl as she moved further away, stumbling when the gaps between branches were wider than she cared for or the branch was too narrow. What disturbed her was that the man made no suggestions of answering any time soon; his face was passive. Fear crept into her small frame, making her tremble. '_His aura: it's so dark. I don't think I have ever felt one so…evil; it is inhuman_,' she thought as the man came closer. Hoping that he would give an answer, she repeated her previous question with more stutters than what there had been. Still, no answer came forth. Her eyes widened with a mixture of fear and surprise as the man suddenly appeared before her on a neighboring branch. His coal orbs caught hers, and her body locked up. To her, it felt as though his eyes were piercing her very soul, cleaving it open and laying it bare for him to read. She realized that she was falling only after her back struck a branch.

Tree limbs snapped as the girl came crashing down; some not breaking, but they popped her off like a rag doll. Her body ceased to fall momentarily as her left leg slipped between a pair of limbs, a painful-sounding snap coming forth before the limbs themselves snapped. Landing with a dull thud on her stomach, leaves and branches trailing after her, she let loose a groan of pain. Why of all things did she climb higher into the giant tree? She turned over, clutching her leg with a grimace set on her face, her breathing slightly labored. Never did she take the time to realize that the man had been at ground level waiting for her to finish falling for a while.

"What is your **problem**, buddy?! You could have really made me huuuu-…" Sitting there on the ground, she felt insignificant with the strange man looming above her. Red flags flapped at her instincts wildly, urging her to do anything to get away from him. It dawned on her that he could very well be a professional Hunter sent to kill her, not another type that would only scare her away and then try to kill her. Standing with some difficulty and sickening cracks from her possibly broken leg, she clapped her hands together and gave a small bow. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Mister Dark-and-Gruesome. I think I will take my leave now." With those being the parting words, she ran like the dickens in the opposite direction from which the man stood, leaving dust puffing up into the air.

The man, watching the young girl run as though demons were snapping their teeth at her heels, mounted his black steed. The scratchy voice came forth instantly. "You don't think that this is the girl that guy wanted us to get rid of, do you? She didn't even try to fight you. She just ran. I know she fits the description and all, but still." The voice sounded disgusted. Perhaps it was expecting some show. After the voice had finish talking, the man had kicked his heels into the horse's flanks. "Hey! You aren't seriously going after her are you? There's no need. Besides, it's nearly dark."

"We were charged to 'get rid of the girl and see to it that she does not return to the town'. I intend to do so." The man's voice was cold and monotonous in tones, laced with rust in a way, as though there was no feeling left within him. Up ahead of him, the girl was still running, and they were entering the outskirts of a small town. Strangely enough, there were not many people active as of that moment. Although, the eerie voice might receive its show, for the girl had turned around and was running at the man with what looked like a black club residing in her left hand. Then again, it might not.

He was pulling back on the reins of the cybernetic horse as he reached for the sword on his back. Before he was able to swing the long arcing blade down at her, she leapt at him, swung out her arm and caught him in the gut with the end of the club, sending him flying off the horse. Catching himself with his free hand and his feet skidding across the ground, the crouched position managed to stop him quickly. Standing as though nothing had happened, he saw the girl's silhouette jogging down a dark side alley. He easily stepped before her, lifting her from the ground by the front of her black clothing to shove her against the brick wall. He leveled the sword -which had remained out- with her chest, pressing the honed tip into the flesh above her rapidly beating heart. "Leave this area or be killed," the man said bluntly, planning to hold the girl in her spot until she answered. "That's your choice."

Sadness ruled every emotion in her eyes. "Jeez, I mind my own business and end up getting hunted by others for no reason. As I said before, what is your problem? Are you just a bunch of freaks that like to kill everyone?" She had touched either a sore spot, or not answering him made him stress what he had said earlier, for he pressed the tip of the blade into her chest with a force that landed on the side of threatening. It was more probable to go with the latter of the choices. "Go ahead; it's not like I care if I die." The tip easily entered her flesh, letting her blood spray outward for a moment. She gave a small gasp. "Okay, I do care. I'm going to leave." He removed the blade from her chest.

Falling into a heap when the man released her, she clutched at the piercing in her chest. The man's billowing coat was all she saw as he left her there to mount the horse that was patiently waiting at the end of the alley. "Why didn't you just kill me? I told the others that came for me that I would leave town and not come back. Yet, they still tried to kill me," she whispered out, but not loud enough for the man to hear. She stood and stumbled from the alley, her eyes trailing after the black form.

The hooves drummed on the ground as the rider slowly went through the town. He was acutely aware of the girl closely following, still clutching her wound and limping with her slow walk. Of course, he knew why she was following him; the other villagers would not be honest or kind for what she wanted, and that was not saying that he would be. There was a loud thump as though the girl had fallen before a slight scuffling noise, but he paid no mind to it. Instead, he kept the horse at its steady pace through town. By the time he had cleared the town, there were definite signs that the girl was still following him, such as popping bones and small whimpers. Finally, when there was a gentle tug at his coat, he glanced down to see the girl standing next to him, a hand tightly gripping the worn material to his coat, before he pulled the steed to a stop.

The girl's face was pale, milk-white if you wanted to get specific. However, she was paler than she had been previously. Releasing the hold on the coat, she gave a sheepish smile up at the man. "Do you know of any doctors that would actually take me in?" she asked in a monotonous half-whisper that was slightly slurred. Receiving no recognition as if she had not asked the question, she nodded her head slightly. "I see; you are **heartless**." With one last spiteful look, she dropped face first to the hard ground.

There was a long, hard laugh from around the vicinity of the man's left hand. "Wow! How many women do you see and/or meet that get mad at you instead of melting with desire? It's nice to see you get told off like that. Where did she get the heartless part, though? I think you have a heart. It's just buried under centuries worth of dust and stone. Ooo, maybe she can see a person's personality and heart just by looking at them." There was a long pause. "Perhaps, since she is here, you can refuel."

Averting his gaze from the girl who was unconscious on the ground, the man stared at his left hand. While flipping that very hand over, the flesh contorted to form a disturbing face in the palm. The man seemed completely unfazed by the fact that there was a countenanced carbuncle residing within. Even as the thing opened beady eyes to stare at him, his features were set like stone.

"Come on," coaxed the queer creature, the tiny mouth set in a devious smile. "She's already bleeding. Just drain her dry and don't worry about it. You know you want to. I can tell!" The grin grew slightly wider after the thing received a sharp glare. "I'm just saying that it would help you. Who knows? Maybe she'll taste as sweet as she smells."

There was a long pause as the man dismounted the horse and kneeled beside the girl. A pale hand reached out, turning her head from side to side. "She's clean," he stated. "How is she withstanding her injuries? I nicked her heart." A hoarse snicker came to his attention.

"Oh, you could tell? Did her heart skip a beat or something?"

There was nothing put forth in return as he gingerly picked her up. Loud protests came from his hand. After he tightly shut it, the objections still came, cutting through the girl and fabric. "What are you doing?! I didn't say to take her with us! She may be a schizophrenic that could wake up and mangle us!"

"Curious," the man stated quietly, easily hefting the girl into the saddle of the horse. As his leg was swinging over, he stared at her when she gave a low groan. Her eyes were parting, staring dully up at him like she was not fully there or more like she was off in 'Lala Land'. With his heels kicking into the sides of the horse, he kept her balanced in the saddle.

"Oh sure, first you stab me and now…where are you taking me?" There was no reply. "Well, then I want down," she stated while wiggling within his grip, though his hold did not lessen. As though she was suddenly severely agitated, her fist lashed out, catching him in the nose with a loud crunch.

Blood gushed from each nostril, running down his face. He noticed that the girl's gaze focused on the stream. With a steady hand, he reset the broken nose and the bleeding almost immediately ceased. Wiping away the blood, he asked, "Are you Human?" He received a sharp look before a smile came forth. There was no answer. Instead, she closed her eyes and appeared asleep once more. It was odd that someone could go from being self-protective to not caring so quickly.

"Maybe she's half a yard off kilter. What do you think?" the thing asked. There was no answer. "Oh, come on, Stud; it's not every day that you go around being Mr. Hero 'The Man Who Saves Every Damsel in Distress.' Hey, I think that has a catchy tune to it. _Mr. Hero_! _Mr. HERO_! _MR. HE_—"

The man slammed the poor creature's face into a passing tree to cut the countenanced carbuncle's rant short. The slow trot continued on in thankful silence, save for the sound of hooves beating relentlessly on the ground. The man had one destination set in mind, which happened to be a couple hours ride at the pace he went with.

The moon rose high into the sky, lighting the surroundings. The moonlight gave the man a jewel-like glow with his pale skin. Ever so often, he would glance down at the girl when she shifted or groaned with pain. Otherwise, his eyes stayed focused on the path through the forest they had entered. Why on Earth had he picked her up? That very question might have plagued him, but if only for a short while.

A large cliff came into view as true night settled. In the side of the cliff was an opening, somewhat like a small cave. Navigating the horse up a narrow path, he quickly found himself leading the horse inside the mouth of the opening. After dismounting the steed and placing the girl upon the hard ground, he lit a lantern he had pulled out from a saddlebag, along with a medical kit, setting both close to her. A scent that was all too familiar to him drifted up from her: blood. At first, he passed it for the wound he had inflicted. Then the scent became stronger.

Easily lifting away the bloodstained shirt that she wore, a large wound came into view, looking as though the most that had been done to help its healing process being her tying a piece of cloth over it. Places that had been stretched and ripped numerous times and were leaking pus only worsened the outlook of infection. In a way, most would probably cringe at how the wound looked. Although, it seemed not to bother him, for he pulled out a small bottle of peroxide before pouring some across the wound. Foam quickly appeared. When the foam died, he wiped it away before wrapping it with cloth. Still, the stench of blood did not leave. Pulling away her shirt and placing it beside the lantern to reveal armor and –thankfully- undergarments, his eyes glanced over bare spots. The amount of injuries she had seemed impossible for any normal Human to withstand. Yet, she appeared Human enough. He began sewing up the ones that seemed relatively new and were still bleeding after cleaning them, including the one he had personally inflicted. In one, he even had to dig out pieces of an arrow that had been broken in an attempt to pull it out from the back of her shoulder. Looking over her pants to see if there were any blood splotches from possible leg wounds, he really did not want to remove her pants. That would be a severe violation. He left her broken leg alone for the moment. If she vomited from the pain from him replacing the bones, she would most likely choke and die.

Everything about her suddenly seemed Human enough except for the fact that she was still alive with so many wounds. Her aura and her speed where that of any other person's. Now, this sparked some curiosity of what was going on with her. So, why not look into her memories to see if they told of what it was?

A lurid light coursed through his eyes as he placed his left hand upon her head. Images flashed before his eyes from previous memories to the ones from earlier in her life. In one, the girl was running, leaping from balcony to balcony away from people bearing guns, one bullet hitting her shoulder and knocking her down. In another, she was sitting in a bare classroom, listening to a teacher drone on about some off subject, such as a person disappearing from the town. Later on she was outside, walking past a group of teens just a few years older in appearance when they began throwing large, sharp rocks at her, some managing to cut her. Whether he saw her being hunted, ridiculed, or shot at, he noticed one thing in common with each passing memory; she did nothing more than shove people away by hitting them or run.

Finally reaching deeper into her memories, such as from when she was a child, he saw nothing at first. After a long while, two scenes flickered up, but just for a fraction of a second. The first had someone screaming and maniacal laughter behind it. The second was someone talking hastily. As the second ended, a surge of energy rejected his intrusion into the memories, forcing him back.

"Sorry, those two were hard to get." The countenanced carbuncle, or parasite, paused; thinking about what it should say went wrong. "There was something ill-fitting about her memories from when she was younger. It was like there was some sort of barrier. I think either she has amnesia, her mind blocked out bad things, or someone blocked them. Therefore, I think I should say my superstition now. There is something weird about her past, so just leave her alone now." In a way, the creature was right. "Come on, get up! Ditch her!"

The girl suddenly groaned, parting her eyes only to see that she was not where she expected to be. Glancing around the cave, she spotted the lantern and the man. At the sight of him, she began to move away. When he told her to stop, she did. The last thing she could remember as he grabbed her leg was calling him heartless. '_After that, how come I am with him_?' she questioned herself, sitting up to watch him uneasily. "Okay Freaky, why am I with you?" she snapped, not meaning for the question to come out. Slapping a hand over her mouth, she could feel him train his crystal-clear eyes upon her. Although, he did nothing more than continue feeling for the broken spot.

"Hey, who are you to call him Freaky, Schizoid?!"

Passing the scratchy voice for a figment of her imagination due to blood loss, she quietly and uneasily watched the man press upon her leg.

"You never answered me," he spoke out, causing her to jump as though he had shot at her. "Are you a Human?"

"How can I answer you if that's the first time you've asked? Besides, if I'm not a Human, am I a dog? Oh yeah, I am really a dog; bark, ruff, arf, growl. What am I next; a kitty?" she replied sarcastically.

"But I did ask you…on the way here." If he realized that she was trying to insult him, he did not show it by voice or face.

This only confused her. Her mind was as empty as a balloon with nothing but air to replace the void between passing out and then. "I must have been talking in my sleep. But really, that was a bad question to ask. Is there any other race besides Human that I could be?" There was no reply. She watched his hands carefully move up her leg, pressing and feeling.

Some things in life were just plain weird. People going around hunting down others seemed so. Then, when the person who had stabbed you was currently fixing your leg, it seemed ridiculous. As a breeze drifted across her torso, she glanced down only to see her armor and undergarments, a bra. "Where is my shirt?!" she screamed aloud, jerking her leg free from the strange man to push herself away. '_I __**knew **__it! He's just fixing me up a bit so he can do__** man things **__to me_!' Slapping her arms across her chest, she hunched over. There was no answer to her question the whole time. "I'm serious! Where is my bloody shirt?" Looking up, she watched her shirt fly at her. As she went to slip on the shirt, she noticed the numerous stitches across her in places where there had been wounds and that gauze effectively patched her side injury, circling around her entire abdomen tightly. With a confused glance, she trained her eyes on the man that sat calmly next to the lantern, watching her from beneath the large travelers' hat. '_Or maybe he was just being nice_.'

"Is there a reason why you've been staying in town only at night?" he asked, locking his eyes with hers without turning fully towards her.

"Simple really; I felt like someone or something was watching me _only_ at night and I felt safer with many people around. As a matter of fact, this is the first time I haven't felt it since I remember being at the orphanage."

"Do you remember anything from before the orphanage?"

"No, not really; but hey, memory fades over time. And if I was sent to that place, I am pretty sure I don't want to remember why I am parentless." She paused, realizing that she was saying things that she did not want to blurt out as she was doing. At that, she cast her eyes to the ground.

"Why did you doctor me up?" That was not exactly what she wanted to ask, but it was better than nothing was. There was no answer, though. '_Fine; besides, he looks like he might know_.' "Can you help me with something, such as…town wide disappearances?" His head turned for him to look at her more directly. "Since everyone seems to know something I don't, I thought you might be able to figure everything out. I'll even pay you to come with me to _see_ if you can help." For a long while, there was nothing said. She began to wonder if he had actually heard her.

"What's your name?" he asked, never answering her question. From his distance, he could easily see the confused look cross her features.

"Is that a yes or no?"

"I need a name to go with a client."

"My name's Krista, nothing more," she replied somewhat joyfully, slowly inching her way to the man while not putting any pressure upon her left leg. On the outside, she was calm, but on the inside, she was shouting a victory cheer. When she was close enough, her first instinct was to shake his hand, but her second instinct told her to retract her hand and not be a fool. "Can you tell me your name now?" She thought he might not answer when he grabbed her leg and began pressing upon the bone, once more.

"D," he finally stated, resting her foot on his lap to roll up the leg of the pants. In the middle of her leg, there was a large bruise. As he lightly pushed on the area, he noticed that she did not flinch or grimace. "Stay still," he ordered, watching her stiffen. He thrust the bones into place, hearing her gag as she exhaled. Having nothing else, he wrapped her leg with gauze. When he heard, 'How old are you,' roll from her mouth, he looked away from her.

"If you don't want to answer you don't have to," Krista quickly said. "But, I'm seventeen. I'll be eighteen October 31, All Hallows' Eve. And, thank you for…you know," she stated, sweeping a hand across her form at the end.

Moving herself to look at D's face, she truly wanted to see what his eyes held. When she saw them, she only saw an emotionless void with age and horrors unknown to her. She knew what her eyes said; "I am mostly curious right now". In five minutes, they would probably say something along the lines of, "I am so bored," or, "Hello world!" She came back to reality as D blew out the lantern and stood.

"Go to sleep. We can talk more in the morning if you want," he said, walking to the opposite side of the cave. As he sat down with his back against the rock wall, he watched her carefully lie down and doze off. Closing his eyes, he slowly drifted off to sleep, briefly wondering what he was getting into.

_October 28, 13,012_

The time was around 5 Morning; that much she knew as she awoke. Standing with a quiet yawn, Krista walked over to the edge of the cliff on the outside of the cave, sitting down to let her legs dangle down limply. As she stared up at the moon, she could not help but wonder what made her like it so much or what made D seem so inhuman. By her standards, no normal Human could be stoic, have an aura like his, and be strange all at the same time. It was then that she became aware of the eerie aura. Sure, to her it was not very strong at that given moment, but it was enough to give her chill bumps. As she tilted her head back, she had the sinking feeling that D was standing behind her, and he was. '_He walks quietly. I didn't even hear him_.'

"What is the town?" he asked, sitting down with his legs crossed a few feet from her. He heard the name Puregon but the name did not sound familiar. No matter; she could tell him how to get there. Although, their first stop would be in the closest town. He needed supplies. As he turned to look at her, the first thing that caught his eye was the school-girl-crush smile she was giving him. It was not unusual, but still. "Can you ride?" he asked, dismissing the smile as he tilted his head in the direction of the steed lying on the ground.

"I suppose," she replied, a thoughtful look crossing her features. "The first and last time I rode I fell off head first. But, I would rather walk for a while if it would be all right with you. I want to make sure I can go around on my leg without it giving out."

Good enough, but he did not bother to ask if she could defend herself; that much was obvious if she could throw him off his horse with a single swing. There were still the questions of what her weapon truly was and how often she ate. If she were the same as some teens, he would need more food than normal. If she did not eat very often, then there would not be a big problem. "What is your weapon?" For an answer to his question, he heard metal sliding against metal before she thrust a sharp, abnormally long dagger before his face. He grabbed the tip, quickly noticing that the dagger was well balanced and made of silver. He held it out to her.

After she received her dagger, Krista pushed it and a match together to work as a whacking stick. At that moment, she was concentrating only on figuring out how to get to Puregon from where they were. '_I curse bad memory, or just my stupidity_,' she thought to herself, lightly hitting her head as though the action would knock the directions to Puregon into place. "Oh, and if you were wondering, I don't eat all that often. I eat about once every week. And I am sorry that I called you Freaky and Mr. Dark-and-Gruesome and heartless and for being sarcastic."

"You **bet** you're sorry! You're lucky he doesn't go all fangs on your sorry—"

There the voice was again. Her belief was either she was losing her mind, in which she thought she lost long ago, or she was delusional. Although, this time Krista noticed D clenching his left hand to where his nails cut into his flesh, letting a small amount of blood drip from his hand.

As her thoughts jumped back to earlier, she pulled out a small bag, holding it suspended in front of D. "Like I said, I'll pay you to come with me," she said before having the bag pushed back to her.

"Keep your money for now," D stated simply.

While replacing the bag, something occurred to her. Every time D happened to talk, his voice was monotonous and calm and his face never showed emotion. '_That takes my stoic perspective to a whole new level! I never knew someone could be this stoic_!'

"We'll stop to get supplies when we head out," he said, rattling Krista from the stoic subject in her head. Out of all things, he wanted the countenanced carbuncle to stop blurting out when it felt it could. "We'll leave when the sun rises." With that stated, all talking was a no-no until sunrise.

Just for a hopeful thought, Krista prayed that they would not stop at a town that had a grudge against her. The reason to have one was unknown to her. That was all they needed; to stop at a town and leave at gunpoint. And with another off thought on the matter of how stoic D really was, she reached out with one finger, poking him inexplicably hard.

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**AN:** If you have any suggestions or corrections please tell me (like if I made D talk to much). Also, it has come to my attention that some of my story has content severely close to other stories. I did not mean for that to be so. I have had this re-edited version typed for some time now. Again, sorry. I do not claim any other's work.


	2. Travels

**AN:** If this lame, so very sorry. If I describe too much I am sorry for that, too. It is one of my many curses besides not being able to use proper English and pure stupidity. Anyone who took the time to read my story, I thank you. Town names came out of nowhere from my head, along with Hongares.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Vampire Hunter D world or its characters (D and Hand). They belong to Hideyuki Kikuchi.

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**Resurrection and Recall**

**Chapter 2: Travels**

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October 28, 13,012

It had been two –nay- nearly three hours since she had poked him. Since then, she had yet to still her quaking body. The emotionless part only went so far in Krista's eyes. If she ever did something that would probably be bad or agitate D, she seriously felt that she would run away screaming louder than a banshee does.

What had happened?

That was a very good question. In quick succession to poking him, she received a glare that made her heart stop. The moment her eyes locked with his cold, deadly eyes, she knew that if she were to come at him in an attack or with the intent to kill he would cut her down without a single regret in his mind. Without the glare, she would not have thought of it. What truly made her shake uncontrollably with rattled nerves was the aura he gave off with the glare. The levels she had felt were when the aura was neutral. That emanation was anything but neutral.

Having left the cave where there was nothing to distract her, she found the woodland slightly comforting. Everything around seemed to lift the slightest of smiles upon her face. Well, until her eyes rested upon who rode silently beside her or until she remembered that he was there. Otherwise, she could look at the grass and feel lighter. If she even thought of glancing at D, that extra bounce drained away, leaving nothing behind besides tremors and thoughts of being slaughtered.

Suddenly, there it was, the center of happiness when it came to the outside world of plants: flowers. Not far ahead, there was a vast group of yellow daisies. With excitement one might only see in a toddler when he or she happened to look upon something they would describe as 'pretty', Krista did no less than sprint to the patch with her hands flung high into the air, hovering over the petite flowers when she was to them. In the short period of time it took for D to reach Krista upon the horse, she had managed to fill her arms with daisies. '_What's the worst that can happen_?' she questioned herself in a carefree way.

Seemingly happier, she skipped ahead of D before remembering that she had no clue as to which town they were headed for, quickly falling behind to stay beside him. No longer did she feel the urge to tremble at the thought of D. It seemed as though the flowers emitted euphoria that seeped into her through her very pores and sucked out the negative energy.

Out of the blue, various assortments of insects began buzzing her and the flowers. She gladly let them near the flowers and their pollen. While some sipped slowly at the nectar, others simply took pollen and left. The only flying creature that placed the tiniest spark of fear within her was the large, black and yellow bumblebee that came severely close to her face, nearly four inches away from her nose. Wiggling a flower to catch its attention, she held the flower at arm's length, cautiously watching it buzz loudly to the flower before planting its rear into her arm and flying once more to her face. After slapping away the bee, she pulled out the stinger. How could it possibly want to sting her? She had done nothing wrong, up until she slapped the bee.

Not even three minutes later, the buzzing she had heard come from one bee appeared. Its loudness made her think it was next to her ear. That was until she took a careful glance over her shoulder. A dark cloud was quickly heading for her. It was none other than a horde of bumblebees. '_The little snitch; it sent in the cavalry to kill me!_' she thought as a piercing scream flew from her mouth and she ran wildly about, never letting go of her precious flowers.

"Drop the flowers!"

How she managed to hear the hoarse voice over her own screams was a mystery, but she did, and she readily obeyed. Tossing up every flower into a burst of floating petals, Krista ran far enough to see the effect. The effect was simply magnificent from her perspective. The bees had paused around the fallen flowers, almost seemingly scrutinizing the petals, before flitting away, one lone bee dropping from the air to hit the ground with a soft thud.

With a long sigh, Krista turned a half-smile upon D. The only notable problem with her smile was the fact that there were small traces of doubt and confusion. "Thanks," she said quietly, and received no sign that he even acknowledged or heard, or cared for that matter, what she said. '_Hmm…maybe I can get him to talk. What will happen if I ask him why there are only even and odd numbers? No, that is too stupid. What about if I ask him what he thinks about the seasons and which one he prefers? Or…_' The smile she wore withered away and one holding a more devious nature replaced it. The reason for this was anyone's guess. "Why are you helping me? While I am asleep, do you plan to take advantage of me? I am, after all, the one nobody truly cares for. Or perhaps you shall catch me off guard, kill me, and take off with what money I have?" She paused, thinking over all that she had questioned. "Don't get me wrong, I am ecstatic that you accepted to come. But with all the characters I have met since I left the orphanage, I have to wonder if you are just the same as the rest of them."

As her eyes sought out his, D had no intentions on replying to any of her questions. Instead, he nudged the horse onward, leaving her standing behind him with a quizzical expression plastered on her face. What did he care if she sustained injuries on the way? All he had to do was follow her to Puregon, "investigate" the disappearances, and that was it. What if, though, there was a head-honcho behind the disappearances? What would he do then? Would he continue to follow and lead or would he leave her to determine her own path and fight on her own? Even as these thoughts and what-ifs piddled around in his psyche for the briefest of moments, he discretely glanced over his shoulder, making certain that Krista was indeed following instead of lagging behind with a stupefied look still on her face. As he faced outward once again, he could hear Krista's feet lightly hitting the ground as she ran to catch up.

Coming to a stop upon a hill, both could clearly see a small town nestled between two groups of trees. While D guided the steed with ease around shrubs and trees and over rocks, Krista literally fell most of the way down. "Kid's not too graceful, is she?" the creature suddenly inquired as Krista stumbled, fell, and rolled down in a perpetual cycle.

Now that it mentioned that, she really was not all too graceful. She was not too bright, either. Bounding down to rest by her unmoving body upon the demonic horse, D gazed steadily at her back. Even as the horse impatiently stomped at her, she did not move, nor did she twitch. D leaned over carefully in the saddle, lifting her into the air by the back of her shirt. It was an almost comical sight, seeing the tears slide across her face.

"It **hurts** to move," Krista muttered through clenched teeth. Every little movement hurt. Even held in the way she was, she felt pain. She barely moved as he tossed her over his shoulder to sit behind him on the saddle. The faint words, 'Hold on,' reached her ears, and she numbly wrapped her arms around D's waist. As the horse kicked up sod, she sat stiffly, not truly sure of how to keep what balance she had or how to hold on, what with D weaving the horse through the trees.

Within a few minutes, the town's stores were visible, poking out over shorter trees and between the others. As soon as the trot was slow enough, Krista slid hastily from the saddle, stumbling as her feet collided with the ground. While D continued on, she paused to take in the looks of the town. '_It looks familiar_.' The thought raced through her psyche, even as she reached the road leading in. Each store, every house, and the courthouse all reminded her of one town that she had previously been through, running from others. '_But weren't all of those towns in the other direction_?' Catching sight of a small house down the street crushed all of her hopes like a bug beneath a boot. '_Aw, man! Well, suck it up, little missy. Just enter O'Hareau. Maybe they won't hurt you today. __**Please! Those are some high hopes. But hey, maybe you're right. Perhaps they will just beat you to a pulp, even shoot you a few times, and then let you waltz right through town!**____Hey, just shut up will you? __**Why don't you make me?!**____Maybe I will! __**Try it if you dare!**____I don't have to…_' Her internal argument cut short as a scream made its way from her throat. D stood before her, giving her a look that made her question her sanity for zoning out in the middle of a road.

After he motioned for her to follow, D turned to enter the town once more. Each glance received was one of either desire or suspicion, but he passed each person by without any regard to the looks, headed for the only grocer. Krista stayed close at his heels, although, even with his back turned to her, he knew that she was frightened. The gazes the people gave would easily scare anyone who might be as innocent and sheepish as she might. With her, no longer did they hold lust, but instead hatred, distrust.

As he neared the grocery store, the people thinned out to where there were just a few, and the fear radiating from Krista ebbed away. Entering the store, D glanced over his shoulder only to see an empty space where Krista should have been. Perhaps that is why the fear had slowly dissipated? No, her scent still lingered in the air. He averted his gaze to his belt. There in the loop was a small piece of paper. How he managed to miss her sticking the note into that space, he did not know. As he unfolded the paper, he carefully read the neat writing.

'_**I have gone to see about my armor.**_

_**I will undoubtedly be in town.**_

_**Wow, big word there!**_

_**But…if you hear a piercing scream,**_

_**it may or may not be me.**_

_**Just in case, though, if you hear one,**_

_**it probably is me.**_

_**Want me to keep talking?**_

_**Nah, I am just going to be down the street.**_

_**Oh yeah! If I am not in town, check in another.**_

_**P.S. Why are you so bloody quiet?**_

_**P.P.S. Is there something you are not telling me?**_

_**P.P.P.S. Do you know where Puregon is?**_

_**I cannot seem to remember how to get there.**_

_**P.P.P.P.S. Is this at all annoying to you?**_

_**P.P.P.P.P.S. Are you wondering how I wrote tis so fast?**_

_**DARN! Supposed to be "This".**_

_**P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Sorry…Ciao! See you in a jiffy.**_'

After staring at the note for several seconds, D walked up to the counter, producing a different slip of paper. "Do you have these?" he asked, watching the old man go over all that was on the list.

Nodding, the elderly man carefully stuck the list in his shirt pocket. "Come back around noon, okay?" he asked, but as he glanced up, D was already gone.

**000**

Krista wandered around calmly through the small shop, glancing at all upon the walls and shelves. Shiny armor, dull armor, and armor that looked as though it could impale one lined the walls. Maces, daggers, swords, lances, and machetes beheld her eyes on an opposite wall from the guns. In reality, she was not completely admiring the metalwork hanging upon the walls until she reached the back where the blacksmith was working; she was lost among the shelves and piles of scrap metals. "Where is a sign when you need one?"

As if answering her inquiry, a deep voice in the opposite direction in which she faced called, "I'm back here!"

Following the voice, vaulting over piles and tripping over others, she caught sight of the blacksmith who was laboring over a rapier. "I need to know…if you can fix…my armor!" she said loud enough for the man to hear her while still jumping over objects.

"Why don't you use the clear path along the left wall?"

At this, Krista stopped to peer around a shelf towards the left wall. Clear of all debris, the width of about two hefty men, was the pathway leading to and from the back. Letting out a strained laugh, she quickly made her way to the path and towards the man. As she reached him, the smile upon her face fizzled away; but as he looked up to meet her gaze with a sigh, she knew in an instant that he did not remember her from their previous encounter of running and shooting. At his questioning look, she quickly dipped her hand into her shirt, a pink tint covering her cheeks for that instant. Out with her hand came a metal plate, dented and twisted beyond the original shape of a breastplate. After handing over the bent piece, she pulled out the opposite plate for the man to go by. "So, can you fix it?" He gave her a brief nod. "How much do I owe?"

"I can fix the chipped edges, thin spots, and dents for about two thousand dalas," he stated nonchalantly, watching as Krista pulled out a pouch and held the amount in bills and coins before him. "Come back around One Noon."

"Okay," she said jovially, stepping away from the man after he took the money and returned to the rapier on the anvil. She looked both directions, spotting the clear path and her ticket out. As she stepped from the shop, her heart leapt into her throat. '_Dang, D sure did find me fast. Perhaps I should have made the note longer…yeah…_' At this point, a strange look overcame her countenance and she hunched over slightly. After a moment passed, her body visibly shook, stopping once she released her breath in one loud burst. "Alrighty then, I need to go one more place if that is good with you."

Running down the street, not truly expecting an answer from D, she searched both sides for a clothing store. At last she stopped, having rounded street corners and changing directions. Above her head hung a sign reading, "**Maylukes: Clothes for All**." She entered, immediately veering towards the racks holding cloaks made for traveling through all weather. "Joy!" she stated to herself, holding a black cloak against her body.

Oblivious to her, D had entered and watched as Krista purchased the cloak. Stepping from the shadows as she passed, he lightly tapped on her shoulder and motioned for her to follow. Was it truly possible for one person to jump and scream as much as she did from fright? He guided her towards the local tavern, pausing not one moment to see if Krista was going to follow when she faltered in her steps and slipped on the new cloak.

As he twisted the doorknob, a quiet creak emitted, and silence reigned over the room. All activities ceased as the door swung inward, and all eyes trained themselves upon D and Krista. The door clicked shut, and even after the pair occupied a small corner table where light was little, no one dared to speak until a petite waitress came to them.

"My name's Margie," she stated, leaning forward slightly. "What can I get you two?"

D turned his gaze to Krista, holding it there for the longest time, suggesting to her that she order first. "Uh, go ahead!"

"Sauterne'."

A stupefied look flashed over Krista's face. "Water," she forced out, still staring at D. As Margie walked away, Krista propped her head up on her hand, mouth agape. "I feel so strange now." The glasses were set upon the table, and she finally snapped out of her stupor. "I thank you."

"If y'all need anything else, just say so." As the waitress turned on her heel to leave, a group of men turned towards their table.

"Margie, with how **strong** their drinks are, I bet they won't even be able to make it through the first round!" a man with unruly black hair stated, a smirk forming on his lips while the men behind him chuckled lightly.

At this, Margie turned once more, slapping the one who talked in the back of the head. "Don't badger others, Ned." She departed with a satisfied smile, leaving the man holding his head.

Taking the tiniest of sips from her glass, Krista stared intently at D, wondering why he had yet to touch the glass. "Do you want water?" she asked, holding out her glass until he held up his hand. "Alright, I was just curious." At this, he took a very small sip. A light suddenly turned on in her head as she massaged her temples, and D seemed to have heard the click, for he averted his gaze from his glass to look at her. "The north; Puregon is in the north through the Mirage Desert, or is in the middle of it." She paused, meeting his gaze head on, no matter how difficult it was to see his eyes. "So with that knowledge, what is next once we are finished here?"

"Hoceano is in that direction. We shall try to reach there by nightfall," he stated, taking another sip as she nodded in agreement. For the longest time, both sat in silence that was only broken when Krista dared to speak. Otherwise, one might call it a staring contest, a very long one at that. Neither blinked nearly the entire time between sips.

"My eyes are burning!" she cried out, fifteen minutes after the next "contest" had begun. "How can you go that long without blinking? I would poke you in the eye if I could, but I am too afraid that you will kill me!" Clutching her eyes did not help the stinging matter, but it did ease the pain for a short while.

D finished the last bit in his glass before standing. Was he truly destined to travel with such a ditzy girl? As he placed the tab on the counter, he turned long enough to watch Krista stumble over the leg of her chair and come severely close to mowing down a server. Taking that as the answer to the question, he exited the bar, hearing a series of small crashes as he continued down the street. After he entered the grocer's and paid for the gathered supplies, he headed down the street to the blacksmith's, waiting patiently outside for Krista.

As she walked out, holding the two breastplates, Krista knew that the smith had done a touchup on both breastplates. Oblivious to D standing not too far away, she began latching the armor back in place, stopping only when D shifted the gravel in mid-turn. "Howdy, again, like the mark?" she asked after finishing with her armor, pointing up at a red line across her forehead until D saw it. "Now I have something to remember that I tripped and smacked into the counter!" She figured he was thinking, '_You poor, retarded girl_.' It really did not matter; she took pride in being who she was – an idiot savant. Either that or there was silence in his mind, except for the occasional chirp of a cricket. "Oh, vell; c'est la vie," she muttered to herself as she took a large step towards D, nearly completing the splits. "Are we done?"

Once D nodded and walked down the street towards the horse the carbuncle grumbled, "Not only is she a klutz, but she is also idiotic." There was a small pause. "Really, why don't you just ditch her? She'll figure out how to solve her own problems…someday. Besides, you're not even getting paid. What's the point? And what shall she say when she figures out that you will be 52.21 times her age when she turns eighteen…if you were a lot younger?" It stopped there, for Krista was behind them by just a yard.

"Do you normally talk to yourself, or have internal arguments or rants?" she inquired of D as she came level with him, her hands clasped lightly behind her back.

"Do you?"

She faltered in her step, sniffing as her right eye twitched ever so slightly. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. It is in my nature, and who I am! Got a _problem_ with it?! **I, personally, don't have anything against people, unless they kill, molest, steal, torture, kidnap, are sexist, and are racist. If they do or are some of those things for the right reasons, then I do not mind.**__Did I not say enough? **Probably not, and I don't think he is even listening to you any**– crud!"

D was staring at her from upon the horse, holding out a hand. "Uh, you want me to ride?" '_**Nah! He just seems like the kinda guy to pull you into a searing kiss after you grab his hand…**__ Not helping!'_

"Yes," D stated, continuing to hold out his hand. As he lifted her into the saddle before him, he could easily see her hair stand on end. Being too out of it or focused upon something else before, she had not noticed how his touch sent cold chills in torrents across her body. When she situated herself, he kicked his heels into the horse's flanks.

_**Sunset…**_

The buildings in Hoceano looked ablaze as the pair entered the town. Dismounting when they reached the town stables, D waited patiently as Krista slid off the mount, landing heavily on her stomach. Not waiting to see if she was going to stand, he unlatched the saddle and bags and hoisted them up onto his shoulder. When the groom came out and took the horse, D began walking for the tavern in the town.

Running to catch up to D, Krista carefully looked at the saddlebags on his shoulder. "So, what did you do with those supplies you got earlier?" He did not answer verbally, but D did tap the side of a bag with his index finger. "Ah, but now I wonder how much they ask for a room." As she began to pull out her money pouch, D pushed her hand down, stopping her.

"I will pay for it," D stated simply, continuing towards the tavern. He halted when Krista grabbed his wrist, forced to turn as she jerked him towards her.

"You know, I am perfectly capable of paying for my own room," she replied. Her eyes hinted at a small glare.

"We are staying in one room," D replied coolly, causing the hair to rise on Krista, again.

At this, Krista seemed to choke on her own spit. She doubled over, hiding her face from his view as she continued to cough and sputter. '_He is getting just one room! I thought__** I**_ _had lost my mind_.' Though she protested in her head, after she had finished choking and ran to catch up to D, she did not dare protest aloud. She did not remember entering the tavern, or him paying for the one room, or climbing the stair, but she was aware of D unlocking the door. When D entered, her hand shot out, groping for the switch.

The lights flickered on and off before revealing the quaint room. The headboard of the bed was against the wall, a chair in the corner to the left of the bed, and an end table on its other side. A table along with a small lamp was against the opposite wall with a dresser next to it. The wood floor seemed to match the spreadsheets on the bed.

D placed his sword between the chair and bed while Krista's daggers took residence on the nightstand. There was no thought given as Krista stumbled into the bathroom, closing the door after she picked herself up. As the sound of running water floated from the bathroom, D carefully laid upon the right side of the bed. Several minutes passed after he closed his eyes, waiting for Krista to emerge from the bathroom. When his eyelids parted, cloaked was the room in darkness and Krista was walking silently to the chair in the corner.

Falling into the chair with a sigh, Krista began to comb her hair with her fingers, mindful of the water dripping off. Once finished, she brought her knees up to her chest and covered herself with her cloak, curling in on herself. As she waited for sleep to greet her, a feeling that someone was watching her spread over her.

"You should lie in the bed so your wounds will heal properly."

The glare she gave him when she opened her eyes was chilling for someone of her disposition, as though another side to her lie dormant while waiting for its chance to escape or show itself in some place other than in her mind and speech. The glare soon fell, however, and she graced her face with a serene smile. "Be my guest and take the bed. I will be fine." Once more, she curled in on herself before darkness greeted her thoughts.

"Persistent, isn't she, D?" the creature suddenly whispered, turning D's left palm outward to face Krista. "Hey, you should rest. I seriously doubt that the girl will know what to do should you succumb to _Sunlight Syndrome_. You know perfectly well that it could hit you any time now. It would probably scare her to death if you showed your fangs because of it. Although, I doubt it would be from fright." At this, it began to cackle at its own teasing.

As though nothing had transpired, D easily lifted Krista from the chair, supporting her weight long enough with one arm to pull down the blankets before he set her down. Lifting up her shirt, he viewed bare skin where a bandage should have been. He cleaned and bandaged the wound once more before pulling down her shirt. He then rolled up the material of her pants, viewing a disappearing bruise before pulling it back down. When he had drawn the covers up to her chin, he took her previous spot in the chair. After crossing his legs and folding his arms across his chest, he continued to watch her.

"Hey, you better not be staying up again just to watch her. You stayed asleep last night for what, half an hour?" it warned quietly.

Before the creature could finish, D was tilting his head down, entering his dreamless realm. Krista, though, exited hers.

_**Dream: First Point of View**_

_I doubled over and wiped my face and eyes, breathing heavily. Had I been running? Had I also been crying? "What is going on around here?" I questioned, continuing to gasp for air, as I stood upright. The streets were familiar. As I took in the scene, I saw a woman standing down the road. Behind her, a figure stood, smiling maliciously. The one thing I noticed most about him was the elongated canines. The figure hoisted the woman over his shoulder and disappeared faster than my eyes could follow._

_As I turned, my eye caught sight of a familiar form. I had the fleeting thought that he might be one of the creatures that had just taken the girl, and there was something about his presence that made me feel ill at ease, almost like he was not supposed to be there, or alive for that matter. A lurid light coursed through his eyes and provoked me to scream, and it escaped no matter how hard I tried to keep it in. He held out his hand, as if he was trying to gain my confidence. I began to reach for him, my eyes widening as I realized that one of those creatures was standing behind him. I screamed one letter, one name. I screamed D._

_A sword tip exited his chest with a spurt of dark blood. I could only watch in paralyzed horror as the blade twisted around in the wound, reminding me vaguely of corkscrew removing itself from the cork as blood erupted from his mouth._

"_You deserved that, Hunter," the creature whispered into his ear before he fell to the ground limply._

_I did nothing, still, as a different one grabbed me and began to pull me away. "Say goodbye to your Dhampir friend," the evident he stated, and I began to struggle. Pulling a dagger from my belt, the only one there, I thrust it under his neck. Taken from my hand, the dagger flew at the lifeless body._

_Laughter filled the night air. "I would stop struggling; it's futile to try and escape."_

_**End Dream: End First Point of View**_

_October 29, 13,012_

Waking with a jerk and a gasp, Krista carefully examined her state. The blankets were wrapped around her as though she had wrestled with them. Slowly trying to detangle herself from the sheets of doom, her mind traveled back to her dream. '_What is a Diaper…no…a Dhampir? And that man; was he D? Is D a Dhampir? __**Well, you did technically call the man in your dreams D. I would think that it was.**__ You can be such a pain. You do realize this, don't you? __**Yes, I am very well aware of that! But did you notice how the blood shot from his chest? It was like a blooming flower!**_' Krista involuntarily shuddered at the thought of D skewered with a sword. Looking around the dark room, she spotted D sitting in the chair where she had fallen asleep. She also noticed how his hair seemed slightly damp and how steam still leaked from the bathroom.

Though his head remained down, D watched Krista fight for freedom against the blankets, kicking, pushing, and biting at the sheets. His only movement was the clenching of his fist in reaction to the creature in his hand talking, making the voice quiet enough for only him to hear.

"Hmm, I wonder what she dreamt about to end up like that. Maybe it was about _you_!" it whispered mischievously. As nails began to dig into the creature, it began to snicker. "Such a temper, D. That statement was ambiguous. She could have had a nightmare. Did you ever think of that? I guess not. That never crossed your mind and I know it did not! **Score: Parasite has ONE and D has ZERO**! Ha, I win round one!"

Pulling back the curtain to the window, Krista looked out upon the world still cloaked in night. Turning around, Krista moved before D, leaning forward until her forehead touched the edge of D's broad hat. Her eyes seemed to glow in the nonexistent light as she looked at him beneath the hat. When his eyes snapped up and locked on hers, she stumbled backwards, laughing nervously. "I am sorry if I popped your personal bubble." At this, she plucked invisible pieces from the air and floor before seeming to place the parts together. "There, now your bubble is patched and I would like to know why I was on the bed."

"Your wounds need to heal properly," D replied coolly, rising from the chair. "You do not need an infection."

"That is such a poor excuse," she lied, knowing perfectly well that it was a very good excuse. With a sigh, she latched her daggers into place on her belt. "When are we leaving?" As if in answer, D seemingly appeared beside her, removing his sword from the corner to replace on his back. Her hands spasmodically twitched as she gave a strangled noise somewhere between a scream and a growl. "Why am I so bloody jumpy?" she stated quickly, the words coming out as a demonic hiss.

D calmly watched her have her episode. Krista was leaning over the dresser, face contorted with rage and confusion, with her hands upturned and in the shape of claws. Leaving her at that to grab the saddle and bags, he started out the door, soon passed by a dark petite blur. As he exited the tavern, his eyes carefully scanned each side of the street, spotting Krista running alongside his black horse, being dragged more than leading. When they stopped, he strapped the saddle and bags into place and mounted.

Unlike the first time, as Krista grabbed D's hand to mount before him, not only did her hair stand on end, but she also realized in an unnerved fashion how easily D supported her weight. She swung her leg around, careful not to disengage D from the saddle with a swift kick to the head. As she seated herself, D tapped his heels into the horse's flanks.

Minutes passed as the horse galloped across the land. It was only then that Krista noticed how drastically the weather controllers affected the land. The trees and green grass cut off suddenly, leaving what one could rightly call a barren wasteland. Before the two was a vast expanse of sand.

As she watched the landscape fly by, there was a tap on her healing side wound. She jerked, tipping her head back hurriedly to stare at D. "What?"

"What is that wound from?" D inquired.

Giving D a sheepish smile, she tipped her head back down. "When I was coming from Puregon, I encountered a really big creature that decided it was going to hit me with its tail and eat me. Well, it more of ate my previous cloak, but it still hit me. I do not know what on its tail hit me, but it buggered me up. I didn't have anything better than leather to bind the wound with, so if it looked really bad, yeah."

There was a long pause before D spoke. "People began disappearing over night?"

"Yes, that's right," she replied. Twisting around, Krista faced D, her eyes questioning.

"Were there any Nobles in that area?"

Eyes wide, she turned forward. She watched the horse's hooves kick up the sand. Looking up once more, she asked, "What is a _Noble_? Like an aristocrat?"

Tightening his grip on the reins, D jerked back on them, abruptly halting the horse. He watched as Krista flipped over the protesting animal's head, her face making contact with the ground first.

"A Vampire," D stated as she lifted her torso and shook out her hair.

The ringing in her ears was disorienting. "A…Vampire?" Fighting around the ringing, she thought long and hard about it, holding her head as she stood. "What is a Vampire?"

As the ringing in Krista's ears momentarily increased, the countenanced carbuncle said, "Do not joke around about this."

"I am _not_ joking. This ringing is making it hard to think straight, much less joke."

Staring down at her, D edged the horse forward. The glare he received showed her displeasure, warning him to warn her before he decided to stop the horse so suddenly, again. Finally, he stated in a serious but monotonous tone, "Vampires, that are self-proclaimed as Nobles, are creatures of the Night who feed off the blood of others."

"Oh…okay. And, by the way, there is a manor or castle thingy that overlooks Puregon. I don't know how far you might want to look into that place." Krista paused, looking up at D. "Am I allowed back on?" she asked quite innocently. As D nodded, Krista gingerly settled into the saddle.

As the minutes passed, D noticed Krista's brow furrow.

'_Why do I keep questioning him so rudely or thinking bad? It's not like he did anything wrong!__** Sorry, I have a part in that.**__ Why? Or…should I ask how? __**My feelings, of course, leak out and influence yours.**__ Again, how? You're not even real! __**Oh, I am very real. Why do you think your voice changes when I take over your speech?**__ Okay, then what is your name? __**I don't remember, but I know that I have all ways been with you.**__ Whatever you think._' At this, Krista slowly tipped her head back to stare at D, lightly frowning. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know I have said it before, but I needed to say it again. I don't want to be so rude to you."

"I'm used to it," D replied.

"That doesn't matter! It doesn't give me a reason to question you the way I did yesterday, to accuse you of something I don't think you would even consider. I'm just sorry, for everything and anything." Looking back, Krista gave a light smile at D's nod. "Thank you."

The next few hours passed without incident, the sun steadily rising higher in the sky. They stopped in Ralrindo, hopping off the horse to let it drink and rest at the public stables. When Krista left the horse, she found D leaning against the building, his head tipped down. "Did you need anything from here?"

With a shake of the head, D watched Krista saunter off in the opposite direction.

"Hey, don't you think it's a bit odd that she doesn't know about Nobles?" the creature of his hand muttered, receiving a light nod. "I still can't help but wonder what made you stop and pick her up. It's not like she is much help. Was it her blood? Nah… Her looks, maybe? C'mon, tell me."

"Her eyes and curiosity," D replied succinctly.

"Oh, 'her eyes and curiosity', eh? Well, I haven't heard that one before. I suppose I'll have to wait for the juicy details another day," remarked the hand as Krista slowly approached.

"I think your horse is done," Krista said, turning in time to see the horse straining to exit the building.

With a sharp jerk of its head while bucking, the horse managed to sling the groom through the doors. Giving a satisfied snort, the horse trotted to D.

D gently stroked the beast's muzzle, watching Krista run to the boy on the ground, pay him for his troubles, and then apologize. The apology, though, might have seemed a bit more sincere had she not been snickering. He was not sure how long he stood there, staring at the boy, but he did not notice Krista standing at his side scrutinizing him until she tapped his shoulder.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked, mounting the horse. With a skeptical look at his nod, she shrugged her shoulders. It was not as if he looked ill. Okay, granted, she thought he looked a bit paler, if that was at all possible. It was his aura, mostly, that alerted her. It changed, feeling murkier. The feeling increased with sun exposure, worrying her.

---

As time passed, cold chills engulfed D, his breathing becoming irregular. He noticed Krista turn to give him small looks, though the emotion in her eyes was lost to him. Strength soon drained from his body. If he could last, they would be at the next town – Baigene – within the next half-hour, if not sooner. His grip on the reins became lax and his posture faltered. Sweat gathered at his brow.

This did not escape Krista's notice. "D? What's wrong?"

Not given the time to answer, Krista pulled the reins from his grasp, forcing him to wrap his arms around her waist. He leaned into her as his eyes jerked and his vision swam, unable to focus on the objects around him. Hazy was a good word to describe it, like a vague dream, where it can glitch and glide, become unclear. Pain pulled him from the fog, but only briefly. His hand twitched, a small wisp of smoke rising from the exposed skin. Consciousness started to slip from his grasp. Before his mind slipped into the dark abyss completely, one thing registered on his mostly numb senses: the scent of flowers.

Krista yelped as D's arms slipped from her waist, pulling back on the reins. She slid from the horse and ran for D. Tripping; she fell beside him, gently shaking his shoulder. "Dang it! I am not a doctor, D! Uh, maybe he just needs to cool off. Or maybe it was too much sun. Ugh, what do I do?"

"I have a suggestion for you," a hoarse voice chirped, startling Krista. "You could always bury him under a shady tree and keep him from overheating."

Glancing down at D's left hand, Krista watched it slowly rise to eyelevel. With an unnerved twitch of the eye, she pointed at the face that formed in the palm. "You're the voice that I've been hearing come from D… Good to know I haven't been imagining it. Also, there is a problem with your advice."

"Oh? And what would that be?" the creature challenged.

"The closest thing to a tree anywhere around is a cactus about a foot tall."

The hand turned in all directions before releasing a defeated sigh. "Well, then get him back on that horse and get to town. Find a willing doctor to take him in."

With a nod, Krista looked away and into the face of the horse. It lied before her, waiting. After hoisting D into the saddle and mounting, she clutched the reins, the horse needing no help in bolting for the town.

Baigene came quickly. People in the streets scattered as the horse charged through; some cursing, others screaming and squealing. Even horses trotted out of their path. One lone nurse stood before the hospital, watching the scene unfold. The woman quickly realized the horse was charging directly at her. With a scream, she ran out of the way. The horse stopped before her. "Um, do you need help, miss?" she asked shakily.

"It's him. Will you help? I don't know what to do," Krista replied.

"Is your friend _Human_?"

"Does it matter?" snapped Krista, staring down at the nurse. "Please, help him. I don't want him to die."

Nodding, the nurse whistled, and two men ran out with a gurney. "Take him down below," the nurse muttered as they removed D from Krista's grasp and strapped him down. To Krista, she said, "You may come if you like."

Jumping down, Krista guided the beast to the stables, taking the time to remove the saddle and bags. Briefly wondering how the stuff could be so heavy, she ran to the hospital and down the stairs. The underground rooms were considerably cooler and darker than the above rooms, sending chills down her spine. She saw the nurse standing outside the room at the end of the corridor.

When she entered the room, she could see D upon the bed on the far side of the room. The lights were out, the only noise coming from a faucet in the bathroom. Setting down the saddle and bags, Krista rushed to D's side, lightly feeling of his forehead.

"If you need rags, they are under the sink. My name is Annabelle if you need anything else," the nurse said, glancing around the room before swiftly retreating.

Going over to the sink, Krista pulled out a rag and wet it. After placing it on his forehead, she pulled up a chair. "Hey, hand thingy? Will D be all right?" she asked as she sat down.

"Oh sure, he's been through worse." It paused, twisting the left hand over to stare at her. "Hand thingy, eh? Can we shorten the name to just Hand?"

"Yeah," she replied, leaning back in the chair.

Of all the things she has seen, Krista was sure D and his left hand hit the top of the list as the strangest. D, a man who appeared twenty years old with a ghastly aura and an air about him that made her skin crawl, currently lied unconscious on a hospital bed. Instincts told her it was sun exposure. Her mind rejected the idea. The sun did not give him any grief the previous days. Why should it now? Maybe it was because of that Dhampir thing, from her dream. However, she did not know what a Dhampir was, much less, what affected them. What if her dream got it wrong and he was a Vampire? No, that did not seem likely. And did the sun even affect the Vampires?

Growling, Krista struck her leg. "_Was ist er_?" she muttered, breaking the short silence.

The hand turned to look at her, again. "Could you say that without the growl and in a language I understand?"

"Sorry, but what is he?" she asked, nodding at D.

The creature was silent for a long while. "I think D should be the one to tell you, not me. My turn! What were you dreaming about last night?"

With a sigh, Krista told Hand of her dream, not missing a single detail. When she finished, she rubbed her eyes, stifling a yawn. "I know the town, and I think it is Puregon. I seriously hope it was my mind going into overdrive and not a warning. And thanks for the 'advice'." At that, her head tipped back as she drifted off to sleep.

---

A burning sensation along her spine pulled her from sleep. Krista looked up into gleaming eyes, and with a yelp, she fell to the ground from her chair. Noticing how D's arm shook as he propped himself up, she immediately stood. "Are you feeling better? We should have just stayed in the last town if you didn't feel well then."

With a nod, D sat up, glancing briefly at the reddened skin of his hand. "How did you know what to do?"

"Your hand," Krista replied. "I wouldn't have known what to do without his help." Hearing what sounded suspiciously like 'Thank you', she took her place in the chair, once more. "Will we leave in the morning?"

"Yes," he said. "Go back to sleep. We're leaving early."

"Okay, but you, too. This episode is not something I want to repeat." With a large yawn, she stretched out in the chair. "And don't you dare move me."

Without responding, D fell back on the bed. When he was sure Krista was asleep, he looked at the palm of his left hand, watching the skin contort into 'Hand's' face. "What did you want to tell me?"

"Only that you might want to be careful in Puregon," Hand replied, relaying the dream to D. "You think her dream was a premonition? It sounded a bit too vivid to be her imagination."

"We will find out in due time," D said as he closed his eyes. The fingers of his left hand closed around a metal hilt, the hand itself twitching. After minutes of the jerking, there was a huff of agitation.

"C'mon, D," Hand whispered. "It's not like I was going to stab her. I was just gonna poke her! I wanted to see her reaction…"

"Oh, boohoo…"

Both glanced at Krista. Though it could have been a trick of the lighting, her eyes appeared to be blue, a lurid light coursing through them before they closed.

"I'm telling you, there is something strange about this girl," said Hand.

_October 30, 13,012_

Waking before sunrise, they gathered their stuff and left the hospital, never confronted by Annabelle or anyone else. The horse stood outside the stables by the time they got there, despite the groom's best efforts. After strapping the saddle into place and mounting, they continued. The sun rose above the horizon, soon covered by a blanket of clouds. It remained bright despite the cover. The clouds soon spouted patches of rain, appearing as silver cylinders falling from the sky. Lightning writhed as it erupted from the sky, running parallel mere inches from the ground after changing course.

The storm disappeared as swiftly as it came, leaving behind pockets of quicksand and crystallized sand.

Krista stared in awe as the storm passed, wondering how it could have caused the sinkholes and crystals. Looking ahead, she could see the outlines of Raygolnes. By noon, they were passing through the gates of the town. The walls stretched up over sixty feet, the gate guarded by two men. Had it been a time of war, Krista could understand the need for guards. Perhaps it was because of marauders. The reason was lost on her.

When allowed in, D guided the horse to a trough. He tied the reins around a post before leading Krista to the tavern. Smoke billowed out as the door opened. Women ran around the room in revealing outfits, serving drinks to the men and the occasional female.

"Why are they dressed like that, D?" Krista asked, glancing at the women who rushed by as he led her to a dark corner.

"It's likely this is also a cathouse," Hand replied. As if on cue, one of the girls led a man towards the back, giggling excitedly.

"A cathouse? What is that?"

"Are you serious? It's a brothel."

At her perplexed look, D waved it off. When a server came up, he gestured for Krista to order.

"Uh, water," she said, hiding her surprise when D requested the same. "I'm guessing that wine was a one time deal, huh?" She received a small nod.

Placing the water on the table, the woman carefully leaned in. "Is there anything else I can get you?" she asked, gazing briefly at Krista before staring at D, a seductive smile in place.

"No," D said, placing a couple of bills before her.

Looking rather dejected, she grabbed the money and sauntered off.

"Why did she look so upset when you said 'no'?" Krista asked, staring after the girl. She did not receive an answer.

The two sipped on the water, not bothering to conduct another staring contest. Both were too busy thinking to try.

"What will we do when we get to the…uh…cloak-eating monsters?" asked Krista, breaking the silence.

"We will know when we get there." D watched the women scurry back and forth, noticing how Krista stared at them, eyes full of curiosity. With a sigh, he downed the rest of the glass, waiting as Krista did the same, albeit much faster.

At that, they left the tavern. Mounting the horse, they passed through the north gate, immediately blasted by wind. Sand hung in the air. Pulling up his scarf, D covered the horse's muzzle with a cloth, watching as Krista covered her nose and mouth with her shirt.

---

The sun slowly dipped below the horizon as they settled by a pool of water in a small oasis, the horse tethered to a tree by a crop of grass and water. Small animals and reptiles scurried around, hiding deeper in the foliage. The air was clear of sand, trees swaying in the gentle breeze.

There was a rumble.

D turned to stare at Krista, her face flushed. Reaching into a saddlebag, he pulled out two apples, tossing one to her. He then pulled out a small loaf of bread. When he looked at Krista, again, the apple was hanging from her mouth, held carefully between her teeth.

"Huff eh!" she said excitedly, snickering. At his barely quirked eyebrow, she opened her mouth, letting the apple drop to her palm. "I said, 'Stuff me!'" Popping the fruit back in, she smiled up at him.

Shaking his head, D tossed half the loaf at Krista, leaning against a tree not far from her. He bit into his apple, watching her snap her jaws and teeth together, taking a large, clean chunk from her apple.

They ate in silence, excluding the occasional crunch.

Suddenly jumping up, Krista gave D a large smile. "Thank you!" With that, she pouched her belly and waddled to the saddlebags, replacing what was left of her bread.

"What are you doing now, kid?" Hand asked, chuckling at her suddenly odd behaviour.

She patted her belly. "It's meh food babay." Waddling over to D, she asked, "Are you done?" At the small nod, she put away the rest of his bread. Standing up straight, she laughed. "Well, I have managed to amuse myself enough for one night."

Plopping down before a tree not far from D, she curled up in a ball, drawing her cloak tighter around her body. "I really do appreciate you coming this far. Goodnight."

Crossing his ankles, D stared at Krista as she slipped into sleep. He half expected to see her snap out of her sleep, eyes glowing, and start speaking. When she did not, he slowly relaxed against the tree.

_October 31, 13,012: All Hallows' Eve_

Quiet splashing snapped him out of his slumber. His eyes opened, swiftly scanning the area. Spotting Krista by the pond, splashing water over her face, he released his hold on the hilt of his sword. Standing, he joined her by the water, rinsing out his mouth before muttering, "Happy Birthday."

Failing to hide her surprise, Krista slowly covered her face. Cheeks burning bright red, she squeaked, "Thank you," before rushing off. Once out of D's range, she hid behind a large tree, rubbing at her right eye. "**Dang, stop being so emotional!** I can't help it. He's the second person to care that it was my birthday."

The two finished preparing without incident, allowing the horse to get one last drink before mounting. Hours passed with no signs of the creatures Krista spoke of appearing. Thinking they would make it through without seeing them, she released a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, a hole opened before them. With D's skill, the horse stopped short of the hole, looking more like a chasm with each passing second. "You know what this means, D?" asked Hand.

After a long silence, Krista turned to D. "What creature makes this thing?"

"Hongares, but they are far from their lands," D replied as the ground shuddered. Moving the horse back as the ground shifted and churned, D watched as a doglike head popped out of the ground, sand spilling from it. With a bloodcurdling shriek, it dipped below the sand, once more.

"Where'd it go?" Krista asked, screaming when the ground in front of them exploded. She watched in awe as another doglike creature rose before them, its lips pulled back in a snarl.

Silver fur shined in the light. Its five tails writhed, spikes slowly erupting down their lengths. Glaring down at them with golden, narrowed eyes, a growl rumbled through its chest. As its ears flattened against its head and the fur on its back stood, the Hongare took a step forward. Being the size of a three-story house, the step covered a lot of ground.

"I think it would be wise if we moved. I don't feel like being this thing's new chew toy," said Hand.

Snapping the reins, D allowed the horse to bolt, wrapping his arm around Krista's waist. The ground shifted beneath them, more Hongares of varying sizes rising from the sand. The closest one lunged, teeth gnashing. With D's expertise, the horse easily dodged the body as it crashed into the ground. More lunged, each evaded as easily as the last.

"We is no tasty morsel!" Krista suddenly screamed, clutching the arm fastened around her waist.

Spikes imbedded themselves in the ground before them and to either side. Surprised that not one hit them, Krista glanced up, gasping in awe at what she saw. Sword drawn, D held it above them with one hand, a shining spike pushing against it. His arm did not shudder. With a flick of the wrist, the tip was removed, blood gushing forth once they were gone. The Hongare shrieked, sending chills down Krista's spine. Enraged, the Hongares doubled their efforts.

They dodged teeth, spikes and talons alike, iron shod hooves digging into the sand as the horse barreled through.

Suddenly, everything stopped. The Hongares formed a line, all snarling and howling. Turning the horse for them to see the beasts, D pulled on the reins when they were a safe distance away. Or so he thought. The largest Hongare opened its mouth, hunching slightly as its skin rippled and jerked. With a grunt, it shot a wad of acid at them, missing them with a foot to spare, eating away at the sand. The others soon followed suit, jaws unhinging to release the acid.

Kicking the horse in the flanks, D easily guided them away. When the creatures faded in the distance, he pulled back on the reins, reaching down to pry Krista's hands away from his arm. Circulation restored, he flexed his hand.

"Sorry," she mumbled, suddenly squinting. She leaned over the side of the saddle, squealing when she caught sight of buildings. Losing her grip on the saddle, she fell to the ground face first.

When she did not move, D carefully reached down, grabbing her shirt and lifting her into the saddle. He watched her cup her hands and spit sand into them.

Still spitting out sand, Krista said, "I can see Puregon on the horizon! I bet we'll get there in a just a bit!" She bounced lightly, ceasing when she felt D's hand on her shoulder.

"You realize there might not be very many people left, if any at all, if a Noble did attack the town?" asked D nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I do. And it's kinda sad," Krista replied, glancing back at him with a smile. "All we can do is hope for the best."

---

Several hours passed before they reached the outskirts of Puregon, the sun sinking below the horizon.

"If there is one thing I dislike about Mirage Desert, it's the fact that towns _look_ close when they aren't," Krista grumbled, sliding from the saddle. She glanced around, frowning. "It does look deserted."

"It may very well be," said D as he guided the horse into town alongside Krista.

* * *

**AN: **I'm at a loss for what shall happen next. Can you blame me? Probably can!


	3. Puregon Nightmare

**AN:** I thank all who read my story.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own D, his Parasite thingy, or the Vampire Hunter D peoples. Nor do I own psychological attacks or illusion thingies. I do not steal or try to own these things; I just try to put some truth into the story. Only Hideyuki Kikuchi may own these things.

My…um…mother, my best friend, and I do own Krista, Laun, and those other unreadable names.

**WARNING:** Mood swings are great; going from ? to sentimental to ? to sadistic to painful. Also, this chapter might be LAME and BAD and STUPID. If it is so, PLEASE forgive me. I tried. Mood swings are caused from listening to certain songs and how I feel.

* * *

**Resurrection and Recall**

**Chapter 3: Puregon Nightmare**

-

_Evening-October 31 thru Morning-November 1, 13,012_

Streetlamps lit the way as D and Krista walked into Puregon. After quickly tethering his horse to a passing post, D continued inward. Although, Krista was on edge with the town so empty looking. A little voice was screaming at her to grab D and run from town while an even louder voice was yelling at her to ask D if he was a Dhampir. Either way, the latter of the two would come out. She was prone to ask it some time or another.

'_Just ask him already_!' With a long sigh, Krista halted under a streetlamp, watching D stop in his slow walk down the deserted street. "D, I have…a question. Are you a Dhampir?"

With his eyes flashing over to look directly at Krista, his mind ran through whether or not he should actually tell her. Just by how he looked and what his reputation usually was, one would think that she already knew he was not a Human. If she truly had no clue, then he should tell her what exactly he was. However, at the same time it might have been a good idea for him to keep the fact to himself. He nodded his head after what seemed a lifetime to Krista.

Kicking aimlessly at a large rock, Krista bowed her head in disgust about how little she knew about things she should know, feeling the urge to slap herself. What was wrong with her? All the time she could remember living in the blasted orphanage, never once had anyone said anything about Vampires or Dhampirs. It instead seemed as though they tried to hold back the information, as though they were afraid that she would use that very information against them. "Well, what's a Dhampir?" she asked, not bothering to look up.

"A half-breed, half-human and half-Vampire," D replied flatly.

With her eyes visibly widening, she stumbled backwards with surprise. '_I didn't see that one coming. This is so cool; D is half-blooded. Wait; is that a good or bad thing_?' Hearing D's boots click quietly against the cobblestone road, she looked up. "Hey! Where are you goin'?" she yelled at D as he continued to walk away.

Upon hearing her call, D stopped walking, turning around to glance at her as she ran toward him. "I suppose that you wouldn't want to travel with me knowing that I could bite and drain you at any time, just like a Vampire or monster." He only watched as her usually bubbly green eyes showed outrage, her hands clenching and unclenching with each breath she took at her sides. Never did he think that such an innocent looking and acting girl could have such a short temper to self-putdowns.

The sound of Krista's fist colliding into D echoed through the air. D's head snapped to the side, a red mark where Krista had hit him showing on his face.

'_Wow! That was harsh,'_ Hand said. '_I can't believe she actually hit you. A girl hit you. How sad it is to get laid out by a girl. I__** love**_ _it._'

"_Stupid_! You haven't bitten me yet and I have been around you long enough to know that I can trust you." Krista paused long enough to prod him in the chest where his heart was. "I go for what's in the heart, not for what you are and what you can't control. Is any of this getting through to you, D?" she asked, receiving a small nod. Eyes suddenly growing wide, she looked down at the ground, feeling the strange urge to cry for hitting D.

Placing her cold hand on the inflamed area where she had punched him, Krista easily rubbed the skin with her thumb. When the heat and redness was gone, she let her hand fall to her side and stood back. "I'm sorry about hitting you," she apologized in a half whisper before she slowly turned and pointed up to a hill. Upon the large hill rested a mansion. "That's the castle I mentioned before." Had the scene been in a horror movie, she was almost sure that a lone storm cloud would be hanging over the top of the castle, the clouds swirling menacingly as lightning occasionally struck.

With his eyes taking in the size and condition of the manor, D easily took a few steps to be even with Krista. "Do you know anything about it?" he asked monotonously, receiving a quiet 'no'. He pushed back his hair as a gust of wind blew by. Without looking, he listened to Krista walk casually away to an empty-looking house down the street. Finished with his observing, he turned and strode to where she was. When he reached her, she was rapping on the warped wooden door.

The door before Krista sprang open, showing only darkness. The stench of blood quickly hit the night air as streetlamps flickered out, the air abnormally chilled. Everything within her was telling her to run from the house, yet she could not move. For the time being, it seemed as though her feet glued themselves to the porch. "Miss Haldwyn? Are you here?" There was no answer; only the sound of dead leaves tumbling on the street. The glue let go. Turning around to face D, she started down the steps. "Well, I thought I would be able to ask an old teacher if she knew something, but it seems as though she has left." She was nearly to D when a strong voice called out from the darkness.

"Suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door." The voice ceased, letting the knocks of footsteps on wood sound. A dark silhouette appeared; the area around where the hands resided were looking rather misshapen. It was quiet enough to hear the drip of some kind of liquid dripping onto the wood floor. "I'm so sorry about your dear Miss Haldwyn. It seems as though she has lost herself," the figure stated while holding out the dripping object. He threw it out to Krista, delightfully watching her catch it, listening to the scream escape from her throat as she timidly began to step back. "I wouldn't try to run. My companions might pounce at the sight of a fresh source of blood," he stated, watching her stop in her backwards walk.

Five figures fell from the sky, each landing quietly on the hard pavement. Four surrounded D while the last roughly shoved Krista back to the waiting arms of the man still standing in the doorway. "Oh, yes; these are my companions," the man stated. "Their names are Riethe, Riedikke, Vandailk, Paylore, and Vaneth. I am Lord Laun." He had been holding Krista tightly, chuckling the more she struggled. With his hands traveling down the front of her body, touching the _**wrong**_ spots and stopping further down than she preferred, he nuzzled her neck. "You know, that Miss Haldwyn tasted fairly decent, but I bet that you would taste better," he whispered almost seductively into Krista's ear.

"Eww, no; let me go," Krista ordered. At what she thought was a bright idea, she grabbed Laun's shirt with one hand while her opposite gripped his trousers. While pushing him up as though she was tossing him over her head, Krista quickly bent over double. Instead of him soaring through the air as she had hoped, she found herself trying to hold up his weight on her back. It was at that moment that she felt the coolness of his body. Any Human would have been warmer than he was.

While sitting serenely upon her back, Laun grabbed Krista's hands and held them straight into the air, keeping her in the stooped position. "I thought about just draining you dry. Now, though, I think I'll have my fun with you first and leave behind your broken corpse for the Hunter." A cruel laugh made out as Krista's eyes widened and D moved forward towards her. "Careful, Hotshot," he regarded D. "I know that you haven't had your fun with her, but there is no doubt that you have at least drank from her tender neck. Her smell still lingers on you."

"No," D replied bluntly. While reaching for his sword, he slowly took a few steps more to Krista. His eyes showed anyone and everyone he gazed upon their impending demise that would come should they even try to do something, except Krista. Scaring her at the given moment with such a murderous intent would not be the best or smartest of things to do. She would most likely freak out in the worst of ways and never gain her senses again. His aura beat back the horrifying emanations that blanketed the area. He looked back to Laun. "Your quarrel is with me. Leave the girl out of this." There was no reply, save for the snap of fingers, before the one called Riedikke stood alone while the others moved away.

Riedikke was, in a strange way, his own person. Dressed like a Noble he was not. His loose slacks and filthy white shirt made him out to be a local farmer with abnormally pale skin. Pulling a rapier out from behind his back, he expertly twirled it around in the palm of his hand, held out far from his body, before pointing the sharp end to face D. "This will be all too easy," he taunted, a smirk curving his lips. "Cutting through your _pathetic_ half-breed skin will be easier than cutting through air." As if emphasizing what he said, he swung the blade through the air with a loud ring.

Taking his sweet time in his gait to D, a bit of a stagger in his step as though he were drunk, Riedikke glanced to Krista strangely. "I'm surprised that your companion didn't remember me," he stated offhandedly to D. With some half-crazed look deep within his eyes, he charged with the end of the rapier pointed at D's chest, directly where his heart was. Shock ruled his countenance as the blade of D's sword easily flicked the weapon from his hand. '_I might as well be dead. Wait; I am dead, in a sense_.'

With little effort, D ran the blade of the sword into Riedikke's torso before thrusting upwards, slicing the immortal heart in two. At first, blood did not exit from any wound as he continued to thrust the blade through the shoulder with incredible speed. As soon as the sword exited Riedikke, blood sprayed out in a way a misting fountain would. As his body struck the ground, it was certainly no more than a corpse leaking blood. Holding the sword down by his side, D slowly advanced towards Krista once more, only to have the one called Vaneth jump before him.

Krista, in the mean time, was busy trying to remove Laun from her back. With some strain, she managed to shove him off after stepping back a few paces and slamming him against the wall. While rubbing her wrists where Laun had held them, she attempted to jump a few feet away from him, only to have him grab her left wrist. "Alright, I have a question for you. Are you by _**any**_ chance a virgin?" Eyes turning a vibrant blue, a subtle smirk played on her lips.

There was a shake of the head no from Laun followed by a large smile. Without alerting Laun as to what she was doing, she slowly unhooked the lethal daggers on her belt, pulling the free one away. "Then, I really do hope that you won't mind if I do _this_," she said, quickly thrusting the blade of the dagger into his crotch, a twisting motion soon following. The most bloodthirsty grin crossed her pale lips as she then drove her foot into his leg, breaking the bones completely from knee to mid-shin.

Hunching over in severe pain as a girlish scream ripped from his throat, Laun partially released his hold on Krista. The hold he had on her was completely gone after she thrust the dagger down, freeing the blade of his flesh. With hands covered in his own blood, he motioned for the one called Vandailk. "Get the girl and take her back."

Vandailk, unlike Riedikke, was dressed like a Noble, at least in Krista's eyes. To D, he was just another obstacle in the road. Having hidden behind D, Krista clutched to his cloak with one hand. She flinched as D carefully pushed her away before he reached into his cloak, finally noticing the corpse of Vaneth lying on the ground not far from that of Riedikke. Faster than her eyes could follow, five wooden needles flew from within his cloak, each hitting various nerves on Vandailk. Her attention wandered away from Vandailk as his pained roar filled the night air, coming to a rest back on D.

"Leave," D ordered, not bothering to spare a glance at Krista. His eyes focused severely upon his injured opponent. When he did not hear her leave as he had ordered, his eyes trailed over his shoulder to glance in her direction. There she stood, once again clutching his cloak, but she was crying. The look he gave her at that moment when she glanced up at him was indeed cold. "Leave," he said again, more forcefully than the time before. Why she was crying, he did not know. That was until he glanced down at his feet. Just mere inches from the toe of his boot lay the head of Miss Haldwyn. Her eyes were open disturbingly wide, holding a mixture of fear and shock. Matters worsened with the fact that her jaw was no longer in its rightful place, letting her tongue hang limply out onto the ground. He carefully turned the head over with his foot, hiding the facial features from view.

By this time, Vandailk had managed to remove all of the crude needles from his flesh. Walking briskly towards the two, as though he knew more about his foe than the last fighter did, he quickly learned that he was just as -if not more– foolish than the others. The sword of the Hunter was pressing firmly into his neck, just enough for a thin line of blood to appear and run down the sharp edge. He would have stepped away, crouched, jumped, or something else in the line of movement to escape contact with the weapon, had it not been for the feeling of a one-ton weight pressing down upon his chest and each shoulder. Whether it was from fear or D's otherworldly aura steadily increasing, he was not clear on. What he did know, though, was that with a bit more force, his head would cease to exist on his body.

Vandailk was no more after the quick thrust of the blade, decapitating him. The move was rather clean if one did not think about the blood spouting into the air before the headless body fell over. Before another member from Laun's group could come at them, D took advantage of the brief break. He pivoted to face Krista, switching his sword to his left hand as he did. When he could, he seized hold of her cloak and shirt. When he drew her back and the muscles in his arm bulged ever so slightly, it became all too clear what his intentions were.

"What are you _thinking_?" she cried as her feet lifted from the ground.

He launched her through the air towards a neighboring street, watching her figure only long enough to see her collide into the pavement with a resounding smack.

Twisting around, he could feel most of the group's auras fade into naught, though one loner stood atop the roof, gazing steadily at him as he changed the sword to his right hand. As the Noble's gaze shifted to an alley near where Krista had landed, D knew all to well his opponent's intentions. Everything was obvious, as he was the only one left. As the Noble began sliding down the roof towards him, D crouched, placing the tip of his sword upon the ground.

'_**Protect the girl**_.' The voice nearly startled him, popping in as though it knew it was welcome. The voice, though, as strange as it may seem, did not belong to him, nor did it belong to Hand, but almost a mixture. He agreed no matter to which the voice belonged. There had to be a reason as to why these cretins wanted Krista.

As his focus returned once more to the Vampire, D slid the edge of the blade across the ground lightly, crossing it to his left side. He had to protect Krista, and as he realized this, he knew that his mission to accompany her to Puregon and help her with discovering the truth behind the disappearances before parting their ways had become much longer. As the Noble soared from the roof's edge, D launched himself into the air, his cloak flaring out like Death's wings. When the cretin had no time to shift his weight, D swung his sword upwards. Blood fell from the sky to strike the ground like vermillion rain, and the two halves of the loner soon followed. The head struck the ground moments later after snapping off in mid-fall courtesy of D. After quietly landing, D faced the alley in which Krista had vanished by. There she stood with an enraged look upon her face.

"Hey, you think something upset her? She looks a little mad," Hand stated. 'A little mad' was a bit of an understatement; Krista looked prepared to kill D, even mutilate him first.

Krista seemed to glide right up to D, her face inches from his. "You think you can pull this kinda stuff?" The back of her hand connected with his cheek. She continued to stand there, indifferent to the winds churning around them as D's ghastly aura rose severely. "I now know what you kept from me, and I swear that you will pay." After she pulled out her daggers and managed to slice open his hand, her body lurched forward. D's sword ran through her heart.

"Wasn't **that** a **tad **extreme?! Oh, never mind I said anything." As Hand said this, Krista's body evaporated, leaving a trail of smoke in the air. "So it was all an illusion. Well, except for those guys. Now we can find the _real_ Krista. Here, kid, kid, kid! _Here_, kitty – oops - kid, kid, kid. _**Here**_…" Hand cut off as D's nails imbedded themselves into what one would call his face. D walked on, uncaring of the profanities Hand was throwing at him.

_**Rewind to the impact…**_

She swore she heard something crack. As her body collided into the ground, sending stray gravel into the air, she knew she should have seen this all coming. "He's like a bloody bodybuilder," she sighed as she stood to run down the alley beside her. Gliding around a few corners, she came to an abrupt halt as a woman appeared from seemingly nowhere and grabbed her cloak, snapping her backwards as if someone clothes-lined her.

"Come with me," the woman said hastily, lifting Krista from the ground and tugging her off in the opposite direction from which she had been running, towards a small house.

"Where exactly are we going? And why are you out here?" Krista inquired, jerking her cloak from the stranger's grip.

"To my house is where. And I was checking on my parents to make certain they were alive and safe." The woman's hand wound around Krista's cloak once more before she began running down the dark alley, her face revealed as the moonlight struck her just right.

It was at the sight of the woman's face that Krista decided, for the woman's sake, to follow her to her house. This was the same woman as in her dream. '_Well, I want her to be safe, but what if D can't find me? Nah, I bet he can_,' she thought as she entered a small house with the woman, stopping before a large fireplace. Watching as the woman grabbed an unseen handle and lifted a door from the ground, Krista had to wonder what would have happened had a fire been there.

The woman closed the door behind her as she entered, a lit candle residing in her hand. As if she read Krista's mind, she stated, "Lucky we never have a fire going." After taking a seat in the far corner, she offered a seat to Krista, which she politely declined as she took her seat upon the floor. "Why were you out there?"

"My friend and I got in town around twilight, and the Nobles found us. He told me to run, so I did. It's not like I had much of a choice, though." Silence stole the room, and as Krista sat there in the dark, visuals displayed themselves in the air and on the walls like projections, ones students might see in a classroom. Each visual was from earlier, those of the Vampires falling in two, blood misting the air, the head of Miss Haldwyn lying in her arms, and her with Laun. Chills ran down her spine. '_He is such a disgusting man, even if he is a Noble_!'

As the minutes passed, light conversation flowed between the two, letting them forget for the briefest moment what might be happening outside the house. Bouncing nervously on the floor, Krista lightly struck her head upon the ground, staying in her position for the longest while. Her head snapped up as the sound of footsteps neared the door to the basement. When the door opened, a sigh of relief escaped her lips while a scream escaped from the woman. "It is fine, that's my friend," she stated, standing with a smile.

"Oh," the woman stated, unable to say much else until her eyes locked with D's. She knew from the start that he was not of her world. "Are they all gone?"

"For now," D stated, shifting his gaze to Krista. "Come on."

"I am glad that you are okay, D," she stated as they exited the house. "Hello, Hand." There was no answer. "Did I do something wrong?" Her eyes widened as D released his sword from its confinements with a horrible screech. "D?"

As he turned to face her, she knew something was terribly wrong. Leaping backwards was all she could do to avoid a strike to her head. As she stood once more, he was there before her. Her body snapped back, hands landing on the ground to hold her up, when the next strike skimmed across her abdomen. "Why are you doing this?" she screamed as she shoved herself back, the sword sliding easily through her pants and the flesh of her leg. The gash ran from her knee to her ankle. As she looked up from the wound, she watched D slowly raise the sword. She ducked between his legs, pulling one of the daggers from her belt.

'_I really do not want to do this_.' Even as the thought crossed her mind, her dagger came to connect with D's neck. As she ran, her feet digging into the ground, tears managed to leak from her eyes. Through her tear-blurred vision, she did not see the body of D disappear. The further she ran the harder she sobbed, her wounded leg striking the ground harder than the norm. The sword had cut through part of her muscle; that much she knew.

Seconds later, her body slammed into an all-too-familiar black-clad form, knocking her to the ground. As he neared her, her body quaked. "Stay away from me!" she shouted as a dagger flew from her hand. Once more, she stood and ran away from him.

As D stood there, gazing down upon the ground where Krista had been, he had the idea that an illusion of him attacked prior. His thoughts verified themselves as his eyes found the trail of blood that came from her leg.

"I think she fell off her rocker, D."

"No," he stated, picking up the dagger that had flown by him to place within his boot. "She is scared."

**000**

Her breath rasped in her throat as she doubled over, rubbing her eyes and face to dispel them of tears. "What is going on around here?" she whispered, staring at the ground as she tried to catch her breath. Standing upright, Krista quickly took in her surroundings. Everything seemed familiar. "No, please no." As she looked down the road, her heart beat furiously in her chest. There the woman stood, and behind her was the Vampire, the exact malicious smile etched into the creature's face that had been in her dream. As she went to call out to the girl, the Vampire hoisted her over his shoulder and fled. She turned quickly, her eyes finding D. The sight of D standing before her unnerved her, but seeing the lurid light in his eyes frightened her tremendously. She tried desperately to keep her screams in her throat, but to no avail.

To try to gain Krista's trust once more, D held out his hand to her. Do antagonists not try to gain a pretty damsel's trust right before he uses her for some evil scheme? No, he had to pray that she would confide in him. As Krista gingerly began to reach for his hand, he watched her eyes widen, heard her yell his name. A searing pain filled his chest. The Noble behind him whispered into his ear, "You deserved that, Hunter." His body grew numb as he glanced down at the left side of his chest; a blade, not his own, jutted out through his heart and was being twisted out agonizingly slow. Blood spewed from his mouth. He struck the ground where his blood was slowly pooling, rather limply, though his eyes watched consistently until he could see no more.

As a different Noble grabbed her, Krista watched in mute horror as the faint breathing of D ceased. "Say goodbye to your Dhampir friend," she heard him say, but she focused on getting away from his grip. Her hands sought out the last dagger she had, pulling it out until it was under the creature's neck. Snatched from her hand, the dagger sawed through the air towards the general direction of D's lifeless body.

The Noble's laughter filled the air. "I would stop struggling; it's futile to try and escape."

**000**

Hand gathered the last element, giving a light cough as he finished sucking down the air. "Alright, D; start kicking," he said after making certain the heart wound was healed. There was no movement. "D?" There was still no movement. He flopped up to D's face, staring agitatedly at him. With a sickeningly sweet voice he said, "Wake-y, wake-y, eggs and…oh forget it." Had anyone stumbled upon them, they might have laughed at Hand flicking D on the forehead. "Wake up!" he finally roared, pleased when D's eyes shot open. "So, can we go find the girl now? I mean, unless you're glad she's gone; then we can go back to our normal thing."

"Can you find her scent?" D asked as he stood, catching sight of the other dagger belonging to Krista before he placed it in his boot alongside the other. Readjusting his hat, he turned around, taking long, quick strides towards the forepart of town.

"Yeah, it's in the other direction, leading to the castle."

As D passed through the area where the small quarrels had taken place, he noted that all corpses were missing. When he reached his destination, there his steed stood. Quickly untying the reins from the post, he mounted and sped through the town, headed for the castle. As he came to the base of the hill, he reined the horse to stop, studying the incline and the rocks covering the hill. The horse began a normal walk, stepping upon the rocks perfectly the further up it climbed. At one point, D glanced back, watching the rocks and boulders shift or tumble down beneath them. Arriving at the top, he paused long enough to search for guardians. When seeing none, he urged the horse onward once more, dismounting once over the drawbridge that lied open.

For how much the outside looked like rubble, the inside was not, by any means, filthy and in ruins, nor was it in perfect shape. Polished to a high sheen, the black granite shone in the nonexistent light. Great portraits and paintings lined the vermillion walls at perfect intervals. Heavy black curtains covered the windows, keeping all sunlight out. The main hall possessed one differing trait; in the middle was a winding staircase, leading to the upper levels. Carved across the oak handrail were intricate designs.

"Which way?" asked D, looking up the staircase.

"I would say upstairs," the countenanced carbuncle stated after a few minutes. "Her scent ends two floors up."

Not wanting to waste any more time, D took the stairs two at a time while running. Finishing his ascent, he looked down the hall that greeted him. Doors lined both sides, and one lone door directly ahead of him apart from the rest. As he pulled his sword from its sheath, he silently opened the door nearest him. It was a simple stone room, nothing more. The next doors he opened were the same, save for cobwebs strung across random objects. He came to the next-to-last door, gently twisting the doorknob. It was locked. The locking mechanism snapped as he rotated the handle in its slot with enough force to break the handle off. The rooms were evidently soundproof, for when he opened the door, hoarse yells assaulted his ears.

A chain shackled to her wrist snapped as Krista thrust herself outwards, forcing her weight onto the wrist still chain bound. Suspended four feet above the ground, her legs chained down as well, she was wearing only her undergarments, armor, boots, and belt. Profanities and death threats flew from her mouth as she used her free hand to wipe away the blood that ran down from her wrist. The lacerations on her wrist deepened as she continued to struggle, oblivious to D standing before her. "If I get my hands on that turd, I'll strangle him!" Shock stilled her frame after the looked up far enough to see D's face. "How did you survive? I thought you were dead."

"I have my ways," he replied as he used a wooden needle to pick the locks on her shackles. When she landed on the floor, he used his hand against her back to steady her, quickly retracting that very hand as she yelped. He bent her forward slightly, looking at her back. Whelps covered parts of her back, while in other places the skin was raw and bleeding. "Did they whip you?"

"A bit; they said it was because I was struggling too much. I stopped struggling with them in here once the flesh started to peel." With that said, she carefully studied her injured leg, running her fingers across the opening. "It'll heal sometime or another."

"Hey, kid? Where is your stuff?" asked Hand. "You know, like your _clothes_ and _money_?"

"Those Vampires trashed my clothes. As for my money, I kept it hidden. I did manage to keep my belt unharmed." She paused, turning to face D. "Do you know where my daggers are?" The daggers appeared before her, produced from D's boots. As she gratefully took them, she slowly moved closer to him, her lips puckered ever so slightly. Her body was nearly touching his, her lips not far from his.

She blew air onto his shoulder, catching the spider that leapt off. "Well, aren't you a beauty. I shall call you Fluffy!" The spider seemed to snap its jaws together in appreciation.

Releasing the air he had been holding, D knew his heart had skipped a few beats from Krista coming so close to him. Just as he began recomposing once more, Hand had to say something while Krista was busy trying to persuade the spider to leave her hand.

"You got nervous? Are you kidding me? The almighty Dhampir got scared over what he thought was a supposed kiss? This is too good to be true!"

"Be quiet," D hissed quietly, clenching his fist. Surprisingly, Hand silenced, not even uttering a curse. He turned in time to see Krista slowly exiting the room. The sword stayed by his side as he followed her down the stair and through the main room. The room they entered was large, the same thick curtains and draperies covering the windows as in the rest of the mansion. Two closed caskets resided in the middle, a large table that could seat two score men not far away.

Standing before the nearest coffin, Krista silently opened the lid. As the face of the Vampire showed, a murderous look overcame her countenance. "Hello, my personal flogger." The look she received as his eyes opened was one of shock and anger. Before the punishment about her being out of her quarters could ensue, she dumped the casket over. She immediately grasped his neck, her feet pinning his arms down as she sat upon his stomach. The Vampire thrashed about beneath her, unable to free himself of her strangling grasp. To her, it was like watching an animal held on its back near water, suspended in mid-air. They writhe and thrash, wanting to be free or placed down, or held close to know that it is safe.

As D placed the tip of his sword over the Noble's heart, all thrashing ceased. "What was your business here in Puregon?"

"_My_ business is none of _your_ business. Besides, do you think I would say anything to you two blockheads?" the Noble snapped, baring his fangs at them. A grimace set in on his face as Krista's sharp nails imbedded into his flesh, piercing his throat. He yelled out in pain as she gave a small tug.

"Why are you here and where are the rest of the Vampires? I know that there are more."

The malicious grin that graced her lips sent shivers down his spine. The aura emanating from D had already sent his body into small tremors. "The r-rest of them are somewhere on the S-Southern C-Co-Continent."

"And your goal is?" D asked, his voice thundering in the room.

The Noble's courage seemed to snap back into place as a cocky smile formed. "Our wrath for blood has become great. We shall resurrect _him_ and all of the Humans and Half-breeds shall learn their place."

"Who is _he_?" asked Krista.

"Go play with yourself, pathetic wench."

Those last words hit Krista's little button that read, "TICK ME OFF!" Her grip tightened, sinking her nails further into his windpipe. "Goodbye, old chap," she said, warning him of what was to come. She jerked back as a scream erupted from his mouth, ripping his windpipe in half and throwing it to the ground. "Hmm, maybe I should have stuck to strangling him," she stated as she stood above him, watching the seizures entrap the Noble with a cruel smirk. "Next!"

"D, whatever you do, don't make her mad if you want to live," said Hand only loud enough for his owner to hear as D thrust the blade of his sword through the Noble's heart – after Krista had walked away.

"Do you think this one will tell us much more?" Krista asked, glancing over her shoulder to stare at him. Upon seeing D shake his head no, she lifted up the lid, her dagger held at the ready. Shock must have settled in on her, for her body stiffened and the dagger slipped from her hand, striking the granite floor noisily.

D rushed up behind her, impaling the stirring Vampire through the heart. As he withdrew his sword, he watched Krista walk unsteadily away, muttering about getting a girl out of the basement. He sheathed his blade before grabbing the two corpses, dragging them outside to burn in the sun. When he returned to the drawbridge, Krista stood next to the horse, both daggers on her belt, and the girl was residing in the saddle. It was strange to see her eyes fixated on the ground, all emotion, mainly happiness, drained from their green depths.

Without a word, he guided them down the rocky hillside. The trek down appeared far longer than it did ascending. They entered the town and came to a stop at the woman's house, Krista and D watching as she dismounted with a grateful, sincere thank you before running off down a side alley. D mounted after the woman disappeared, moving back far enough for Krista.

Shaking her head, she whispered, "I wish to walk to the edge of town." Walk she did; and ever so often, D took discrete glances at her, wondering what was running through her head. The thoughts were simple: '_Why did I rip out his throat…and like it_?' The edge of town came too quickly for her liking. Tearing her eyes from the rising sun, she turned to D. "I am sorry that I snapped back there. I don't know why I did that, though. I wanted to. And I liked it. Have you ever wanted to do such a thing and you ended up liking it?"

"It is a great possibility," D replied, moving back once more while holding out his hand. As she mounted, he noted how she refrained from touching anywhere else. Although, through the shame her eyes reflected, he could see her exhaustion.

"What is our next destination?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

"I should think the Southern Continent. That is where we shall find out about this man they intend to resurrect."

"Alright," she said, a long yawn escaping afterwards. Her body swayed with the horse as it started at an easy trot. For the longest time, she managed to stay upright with her eyes closed, but soon she began to slump over. With her eyes opening slightly at the feel of something touching her side, she watched D's arm slide across her abdomen, pulling her back into his body. As she looked up, her eyes met D's, and all feelings of shame and doubt fled her body. She slipped into sleep soon after, uncaring of what should happen next.

* * *

**AN:** Tell me what you think. I have no idea why this is turning into a romance-sounding story. Hehe…it may come out like that. I tried but this chapter probably sucks!


	4. More Traveling: Part I

**AN:** ACK! This story…I still cannot believe that it is turning out as a…_**romance!**_ Should a girl my age know some things that I do? Technically, I do not care if you ask how old I am. **FLAMERS ARE WELCOMED**! Thought I might say that. I need good things and ones that say how bad I do.

If you read this Podunk story, I am sorry for not updating very fast. I have writer's block somewhat. ((Beats computer with keyboard like it is the computer's fault))

If there are words that are missing or words that are missing things like an s or ing or y, please forgive me. My computer misses them sometimes. Also, I am losing more of my sanity with each chapter; so if this chapter is even crazier than the last, forgive me. I listened to more weird songs, again. Muwahahahaaa!

**Disclaimer:** As before, I do not own D, his Parasite thingy, or the Vampire Hunter D peoples. Nor do I try to own these; I just try to put truth into the story. Only Hideyuki Kikuchi may own these things.

* * *

**Resurrection and Recall**

**Chapter 4: More Traveling! Weeeeeeee!**

**Recap:**

D and Krista are on their way to the Southern Continent after learning of more Vampires that are trying to raise someone from somewhere.((Thunder and lightning in background with sadistic laughter))

_November 1, 13,012_

Okay, now she cared what was happening. At first it was a slight push, then it was a shove, and yet another shove. But the punch that sent her to the ground made her realize that she needed to wake up and that the gestures were not part of a dream. '_What does D want? That last hit actually hurt._' Krista opened her eyes and looked up to see D glaring at Hand.

"That was uncalled for," D said sternly to Hand.

"But she wouldn't wake up! I sure as heck don't think that you would have gotten anywhere faster by your method of poking and shoving," Hand protested. "And who knows, maybe she will stay awake for the rest of the ride instead of falling asleep."

'_I doubt that last one._' Krista stood, wiping the sand off as she did. "Well, I am awake now. What did you want?" Receiving no answer, she walked over to him and pinched his arm, causing him to glance at her. "D, what did you want?"

"There is a town coming up. I thought you would like something other than your armor to wear, especially when winter arrives," D replied flatly. He held out his hand, waiting for her to mount. When she was, he gave the reins the slightest of flicks, giving them a slow pace. He looked back down after a short while to see Krista out like a light and back in her previous spot on his chest.

"She doesn't have much stamina, does she? But, I can't blame her. I don't think she has ever done some of the things she did," Hand said.

D did not respond. The only sounds came from the deep, mournful wind and the hoof beats. D was slightly glad for the peace and quiet, but Hand had to ruin such a treasure.

"I still can't believe you got _scared_! Who would have thought? Admit that you got scared over a supposed kiss. Come on, you aren't in-"

"Will you drop it?!"

Both D and Hand glanced at Krista. "D...is she still asleep?" asked Hand.

"I'm not anymore," said Krista while looking up at D. Grabbing the front of D's shirt, she pulled him down to her level so she could whisper in his ear. "Hand does not stop talking about some things, does he?"

"Nope," Hand replied before D could even try to answer. "Why, does that subject bother you as well? If so, then do please tell."

"Do you mind if I cut him off?" Krista asked, giving D a small wink. She received a nod. '_Well, at least he is playing along._'

"No, I don't mind at all. He can ride in a saddlebag until we reach the Southern Continent." D swore he felt his left hand twitch in Hand's attempt to pry itself lose from the reins and get away from the fake danger he sensed.

"Guys, don't you dare. Do know how long I would be in that bag? And what would you do without me? Y'all **need** me," Hand said desperately. "Please, I beg you not to chop me off. I'll be nice and not talk about last night." Hand actually thought they were being serious.

"I thank you." Krista paused for a moment to remember what she was going to ask beforehand. "D, do you know what the name of the town is?" she asked. She turned around in time to see him shake his head no. "Then how do you know that there is a town ahead?"

"I can see it."

Looking straight ahead, Krista saw the outlines of little houses and buildings. "Oh, I see it now." She flushed bright red before smiling toothily at D and tucking her hair behind her ears. She watched D for moments as he stared at them. Hastily grabbing her pierced ears, she felt the same thing she always did - her ear and two ball-earrings in each. "Is there something interesting about my ears?"

D stopped staring and looked ahead. "We will be there in a short while. Where is your money hidden?"

While hiding her face as best as she could, Krista began to turn a dark shade of red, more so than she already was, making her to look like she was sunburned. Reaching inside her chest plate, she quickly dug out one of the small gold coins. "Is that good enough for you?" she asked as she thumped the hard metal of the chest piece. She received a slight nod and was left with that.

As time passed, Krista studied D intently as if she might have a test over him. Waving a hand in front of his face, she only received a quick glance before he looked ahead, again. '_How do I get a bloody reaction out of him_?' she thought to herself as she looked away and to the small town. Her look of concentration soon turned to that of an evil psychopath, a grin that threatened to split her face in half quickly appearing. As she turned around the smile disappeared. Faster than one could think was possible, she plucked D's wide-brimmed hat off his head and fell to the ground. She looked up in time to see him give a barely noticeable glare. "Yes! I got a reaction! But you do know that I think you look better without it?"

Casually dismounting his horse, D reached out to grab his hat from Krista whom was still on the ground. He was forced back when Krista placed her small feet on his chest and shoved.

"Nu-uh, I'm not giving this back to you until you can catch me and get it, but you cannot use the horse." With that said Krista jumped up and ran off in the direction of the town. She glanced over her shoulder to see that D was quickly gaining on her. She switched her direction, D doing the same at the exact time she did. The same concept went for this as she ran faster and broke into a sprint. '_Jeez, does he have a mind link to me or something_?' Her fast sprint turned into a sprinting-stride, and yet he was still gaining ground.

Running just behind Krista, D prepared himself to tackle her. As soon as he vaulted himself out toward her, she stopped and jumped into the air, letting him fly right under her. He stood and turned around in time to see Krista run off again. Just as easily as the first run, he soon caught back up to her. He grabbed her by the armor, pulling her off the ground a few inches. He waited for minutes for Krista to stop squirming before he took his hat from her hands and replaced it on its rightful spot.

"Uh, I know that he is really loyal, but does your horse usually follow you?" asked Krista while staring at the horse that was a few feet away. She received a nod. "Well, I got what I wanted out of you. Can you put me down now so we might continue? We are almost there." Her feet touched the ground and she was soon skipping her way to the town, D not far behind her.

As both entered the small town, D and Krista immediately noticed a sign over a shop that said **Clothes for Summer and Winter**. Krista giggled quietly. "But there are no clothes for Spring and Autumn? How sad is that?"

D tethered his horse to a post before following Krista into the very noticeable clothing store. The bright green and yellow colours stood out in the light. He was not surprised to see her rummaging through the articles in the men's section when he entered. Like a dark shadow, he stood by out of her way as she searched through the smallest sizes on the shelves and racks. He looked away for a moment until he heard a loud thud. Returning his attention to Krista, he saw her head planted against the wall. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, the clothes in this section do not go any smaller than an eight."

"And that means what?" Hand asked quietly.

"I must wear a dress until we find a place that does sell smaller than a size eight," Krista replied somberly as she crept over to the women's section. She picked up a dark colored, thin long-sleeved cotton dress that was just her size before scuttling over to the counter. "Do you know where I can get a hooded cloak…Sir?" She followed the direction the man's finger pointed to before retrieving a cloak similar to her previous. She handed the man his money before she ran out of the store and hastily put on the dress.

D swore he saw a tear running down one side of Krista's face until she wiped it away and put on her new cloak. "I take it you don't like dresses," said D as he walked toward Krista. The statement was confirmed when she shook her head no. He then untied his horse before leading it over to the public trough to drink, closely followed by Krista. When the steed was finished, he mounted and held his hand out for Krista like he always did.

Krista did not take his hand. Instead, she looked at the horse and then down at her dress. "How am I supposed to ride?"

"Maybe you can hike up your dress and ride like you have been," suggested Hand. "But I have no idea were you should put the cloth. Drape it over your legs?"

"Thank you, Hand," Krista replied as she did what Hand suggested. It surprisingly worked! '_Yes! I don't have to sit sideways_!'

As they quickly galloped out of town, Krista could not help but wonder how long it would take from where they were to reach the Southern Continent. '_What if we get lost and it takes us _years_ to get there_?' This thought quickly brought up a new question. "Do you age?" she thought aloud. She received a questioning look from D. Smiling sheepishly while rubbing her arm subconsciously she stayed silent until she knew what to say. "Well, back when I asked you how old you were you didn't want to answer. I figured that you must be pretty old to not want to say. So, can you tell me how old you are now?"

D did not respond for a long while, causing Krista to think he still did not want to answer until he did talk. "Vampires do not age. Being half means I acquire some of their traits as you have no doubt already found out," he said receiving a slight nod. "I can walk during the day unlike them but only for so long. But I crave the night." Before Krista could ask her next question he answered it. "And I need blood to survive."

"So, you _are_ old?"

Making a quick calculation using 52.21, D replied, "I am about 940."

This overloaded Krista's processor. The wheels that had been running on high shut down, leaving Krista to look like she had been slapped on the face by a fish. She mentally shook her head after a few minutes, her mind still trying to get around the concept of being friends with a Dhampir whom was 922 years older than her. '_So he doesn't age. Okay, now to ask my next question_.' "How long do you _think_ it will take for us to reach the continent?"

"It depends; how long can you stay awake?"

"The longest I have ever stayed awake is two days straight. Why do you ask?"

"The longer you stay up, the longer we can travel without stopping," D replied as he looked straight ahead. "Nature will also decide." He stopped talking, ending all conversation right then. Sure, he wanted to say a few more things but thought it best to wait until a different time or day.

Time passed quickly, running the duo through mid-morning to afternoon to dusk. D and Krista continued on even as true night settled in around them, both barely noticing the drop in the temperature. They continued on into the next day, still heading south at a nice pace. The day passed as quickly as the past day, if not quicker. It was amazing how fast a day could pass by when you are not thinking but you _are_ thinking at the same time.

It was that night that D decided to stop to rest. Krista descended from the saddle slowly while working out the kinks in her back from sitting in one position for too long. D dismounted casually. If he had any kinks, he did not show it. Krista turned and stretched her neck at the same time. A series of loud cracks emitted from her neck, same thing went when she twisted only her back. D just started a fire. From what, Krista had no idea.

The strange pair sat next to the fire, D on one side and Krista on the opposite. The shadows cast by the fire gave wicked countenances to both, the glow from the full moon on their pale skin giving them the appearances of being dead. As they sat there, each lost in their own thoughts, neither seemed to notice the entity that was creeping closer to them by the second.

A slight sound caused Krista to turn around in her spot. Seeing nothing, she returned to her original position. Subconsciously, her hand slid down to her daggers. The hair on the back of her neck stood when a hot breath crawled over her skin and what felt like fur brushed her arm, both leaving just as quickly as they had come. "D, are there any more creatures of the night that I should know about?" she asked shakily as she hopped over the fire. She sat down closely to D to the point of her body pressed against his. "Perhaps there is one that has fur?"

Looking up at the moon, D grimaced at the thought of a Werewolf stalking them. He stood, Krista doing the same before moving a few inches away. No sooner than they had stood than a blur of brown fur passed by in front of them and stopped on the other side. It came again, this time stopping long enough to lash out at both D and Krista before running to the shadows again. Neither noticed the gashes on their arms seeing as they were too focused on the creature, D's arm healing while Krista's just kind of…stayed the same. As the Werewolf came by again, D caught it in the gut with his sword, littering the ground with the entrails and blood that gushed forth.

Krista walked over to the slowly emptying corpse, looking up to see D next to her. She jumped a little when he looked at her with vermilion eyes. With her eye twitching, she glanced back down at the corpse and crouched. Flipping the beast over, her hand ran over the large, clean opening that let everything spill out. "You have a scary way of dealing with stalkers and killers. I take it you do this quite frequently?" she asked receiving a nod. "And this creature is what?"

"A Werewolf; have you not heard of them before?" D answered.

"Nope," Krista replied. "Something tells me that it's not a good thing about how little I know. But what do we do with this?" she said as she signaled to the corpse and the litter. "Will our little friend attract other night peoples?"

"I will take him away from here," D replied as he started to pack everything into the body with his bare hands. When he was done, he put everything in a bag and held it in his hand as he started to walk away. "Stay here." With that he walked away into the darkness, out of Krista's sight.

As soon as she was sure that D was out of earshot, Krista laughed like a sadistic madman. "He even has a scary way in dealing with moving corpses and their stuffing." She continued to laugh until she was hunched over and red in the face. "Just think; if I wouldn't have met him I would still be clueless about these creatures. And I wouldn't be…truly happy, no matter how stoic he may be. Gosh, how pathetic is that?" She squealed when D answered her question.

"Not very," said D as he sat down a few feet from Krista with his hands clean of blood. How his hands came clean, Krista did not want to know. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, quickly noting how red she really was. You would think that any more blood rising to her face would cause a vessel to explode. He stopped looking at her when she covered her face with her hands.

"You heard everything I said, didn't you?" Krista asked quietly, receiving a nod. She buried her face even deeper into her hands before deciding that her cloak would give better coverage. Drawing the hood up over her head, she wrapped it around herself before lying down where she was, still a few feet from him. "Good night," she said before flipping over on her side, facing away from D.

Lying down as well, D slightly covered his eyes with his hat. The rhythm of Krista's breathing slowed, signaling that she was asleep. His mind kept traveling back to the starting day of their little crusade to the other continent, showing the same things over and over again. His thinking would have to wait by his standards. Sleep was what he needed most at the moment, and sleep he hopefully would, unless something else was to come. Within minutes, his mind went blank, letting him sleep.

_November 3, 13,012_

Waking a few hours before the sun was to rise; Krista wanted only to focus on the warmth that she felt. Her first thought was that she was by the fire and must have moved in her sleep. Cancel out that option. It took her a few minutes to realize that there was something on her other side touching her back and that there was something else pressed up against her front. She carefully moved her hand up from where it was to what her head was currently laying on, feeling of the hard structure. '_Oh no, please do not tell me this is D._' Opening her eyes, she looked up to see the relaxed features of D's face that were usually tense. Her features turned from worry to embarrassment.

D's left hand suddenly twitched. It flipped over with the palm facing Krista, the skin contorting to form Hand's wrinkly face. A smirk of amusement crossed his face before the tiny mouth opened as if to say something. "You do know that you can move, don't you?" he asked in a whisper.

Krista gave a quiet exasperated sigh. "Actually, I cannot move. His arm is wrapped around my back and I'm afraid if I move I will wake him up," she whispered just as quietly as Hand. '_This is so bloody __**embarrassing**_. _And it's not helping the situation with Hand staring at me with those beady black eyes_.'

"Then I guess you'll just have to get comfortable…with him!" Hand snickered as he molded back into D's palm, smiling smugly the whole time after seeing the crimson tint quickly rising to her face.

Staying as still as possible, Krista waited for D to wake. '_How did I end up cuddling with him? **Ha, wouldn't it be funny if you tried to make a move on him?**__ What? __**Never mind…**_' She seriously thought about bashing her head on D's armor but thought otherwise lest he wake. While she waited, she watched the sky brighten in the east, the ground covered in the soft colors of twilight.

As soon as the soft light covered him, D stirred to the point of uncovering his eyes. He did not bother to move his right arm away from Krista, as she immediately jumped away from him. Sitting up, D glanced over at Krista to see her face darken by the second. "You could have moved."

"I was afraid I would wake you if I did," Krista stated as she slowly scooted farther away. She nervously scratched the back of her head while smiling sheepishly. "Do you mind explaining how I ended up where I was?" she whispered.

"You moved in your sleep," D stated flatly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered quieter than the first time. Finally catching sight of the rip in her sleeve, she parted the bloodstained cloth to better view her wound. The gash was now no more than a deep cut. She dismissed all thoughts on how it went from a gash to its current state so quickly when she thoroughly freaked herself out.

"Are you ready?" asked D, rattling Krista from her spaced-out state. He received a hasty nod before she ran to the horse and mounted. He mounted behind her, careful not to touch her as he did so.

With a sharp snap of the reins, they were going as fast as the days before, if not faster. As they went along, Krista could not help but wonder if it was D's doing for the horse putting others to shame when it came to speed and what would happen when they reached the Southern Continent. She glanced down at her wound that was slowly closing before her eyes before pulling away the cloth and armor that covered the arrow wound that was _supposed_ to be on her chest. She then pulled up her dress to look at her legs. Neither of her legs looked like they had ever been touched or broken. '_What on Earth happened to that huge gash that went from my knee down; and the rest of my injuries_?!' she screamed in her head.

D sensed the growing unease coming from Krista as she looked at her legs. He gradually slowed the horse to a stop when Krista started to look over her entire body. "What is it?"

"Nothing," she squeaked. She glanced back down at her arm that now held no trace of ever bearing a wound. "Everything is just _peachy_." '_I'm a __**freak**__! Wait, doesn't D heal fast_?' She grabbed D's arm, seeing no trace of an injury. '_But he heals faster than I_.'

Studying Krista, D did not object when she did not release his arm. After a few minutes passed, he pulled his arm back to see what she would do. One thing she did not do was release his arm. He retracted his arm again, and he received the same results. "Can you release my arm?" he asked in a flat tone. When his arm was released, he noticed the slight glaze over Krista's eyes.

"You lied."

* * *

**AN: **Sorry if you think this is a cliffhanger, it was kind of meant to be. If you think that this chapter was bad JUST DEAL WITH IT AND TELL ME THAT IT WAS CORNY OR SUCKED! I am sorry for the bad chapter. I do not really delete some of the things I put in my story, so that is why some of the things are in here, especially the weird parts. ((Knocks head on desk)) ((Bleeds profusely))


	5. Part Two

**AN: **Wow, it is actually getting a little more interesting. Muwahahahaaa! I was so mean to Krista in the last chapter. Maybe that fact will change for this chapter…or not. *laughs hysterically* *suddenly chokes* Oh…and if you have ever seen Hellsing with Alucard…you will understand the smiles in here…

**Disclaimer:** As before, I do not own D, his Parasite thingy, or the Vampire Hunter D peoples. Nor do I try to own these; I just try to put truth into the story. Only Hideyuki Kikuchi may own these things. No suing allowed, please.

* * *

**Resurrection and Recall**

**Ch. 5: Part Two!**

-

"_You lied."_

The glazed look held in Krista's eyes. She turned in her spot on the saddle to face D fully. As glazed as her eyes were, there was still a look of malice deep within. "You claim I have lied but you have kept something from me in turn. You are more than what you have claimed to be, _Prince_," she stated, her voice dripping with venom though her face was impassive. Her eyes soon closed as her head dropped down, letting her chin rest on her chest.

With his eyes noticeably wider, D was reminded by Hand to close his mouth that was slightly agape. With Krista in his arms, he dismounted from the horse and seated himself on the sand. He then lightly tapped on her shoulder, causing her to stir but not awaken. He prodded her again, watching silently as her head jolted up. Watching her for a long while as she smiled and stared at him, D slowly removed Krista from his lap. "What were you checking yourself for?" he asked afterwards, breaking the odd silence that had been settled over them.

"I was looking for the wounds that were _supposed_ to still be on my body," Krista replied casually. She started to laugh quietly before the laughs turned into full-blown deep laughs and she twisted around in her spot to face away from D. "Hehe, they were…_supposed_ to be…still on my body." She paused, taking in a deep breath before she started to speak again. "I feel like biting someone."

The sudden urge to chop Krista into tiny little pieces hit D as she turned around to look at him, an impossibly wide grin replacing her previous frown. "To bite someone and draw blood?" he inquired quietly, unaware of the fact that his hand was slowly making its way to his sword. He caught himself, keeping his hand where it was.

"Possibly," Krista replied, her grin never faltering. Even so, it actually appeared to be widening. Perhaps it was D's eyes playing tricks on him, but her canines appeared to be growing sharper and in length as well. "I'm felling pretty froggy right now, so I will ask you; would you like to be the first contestant and find out if I intend to draw blood?" There was no doubt about it. The thirst was seeable in her eyes but…what kind of thirst?

Well, D was by-golly going to find out. He placed his thumbnail on his opposite wrist, easily pushing it into the skin. Sliding it down along the line in his wrist, he pulled out his nail and watched his dark blood slowly ooze from the gash. He held his wrist out to Krista, quickly receiving an incredulous look as if he might rightly be crazy, though the smile stuck. For offering Krista his blood, this was a very big possibility. "Have you ever had blood?"

"No, I run off water…or any other drink available," Krista replied dangerously quiet, still smiling but never moving her lips. Her eyes narrowed, taking in only D. "Why, do you want me drink yours or something? That sure would be a first. But then again, there is always a first for everything." She received no answer. Taking D's silence for a yes, she carefully pulled his wrist to her lips and licked the wound clean of blood, pausing momentarily to suck on the cut. She pulled back with not even a mouthful, quickly swallowing. Her smile returned to normal with its innocence of an eight year old child. "It tastes nice, sweet even."

D slowly pulled back his arm before running a finger over the wound, making it look like there had never been a wound in the first place. Besides his paler complexion, there was one more thing that could be considered odd with D at the moment. He was staring at Krista. Well, behind each action there is a reason. '_Her eyes…they turned sky-blue then crimson. But now they're normal_.'

Glancing down at her own wrist, Krista pushed it up to D's face. "Your turn?" she asked innocently. Her eyes also held her mind's innocence. She had no clue as to what D or what a Vampire was capable of doing when tempted with blood. Nor did she know what could happen to D. "I will cut it for you if you like. I really don't mind. I like to think of it as an equivalent exchange."

"No," was D's quick reply as he pushed her arm back. "You truly are an odd one."

"You don't say," Krista said around her quiet laughs as she stood to mount the calmly awaiting steed. She mounted, hastily scooting up for D. Her expression turned grim long after he was behind her and had kicked the horse into a fast gallop. "Have you ever had the feeling that something was going to happen, something bad? And I am not talking about bad as in, 'Ooo, someone's gonna kill me! Come save me my Knight in shining armor or my Dark Guardian Angel!'" She winked at D as she said this, quickly receiving a small confused look. "Just joshing ya; I didn't mean it. But by bad I mean like a bad storm or another thing along those lines."

When Krista relaxed to let her head come to a rest on D's chest plate, she jumped at the sudden, severe electric shock that shot through her head. Her eyes crossed; all felling gone until D placed his hand on her shoulder to steady her. "I do believe that I just jinxed myself or both of us," she said sluggishly. "Do you see a cave with the opening facing south around anywhere or perhaps a rundown structure? One thing just comes after the other in such a consecutive way."

While still expertly guiding the horse, D turned in his spot a few times to look for any means of cover. They had gone a few hundred yards before anything caught D's eye; a cave. It was a nice size; just big enough to fit Krista, the horse, and himself and have an abundance of leftover room. Still unsure as to what Krista wanted shelter from at the moment, D guided the horse to the opening. He helped her down from the saddle, following her back outside the cave. He looked to the north where she pointed. The horizon was hazy and the haze was steadily growing into the sky. "A sandstorm; is that what you felt?"

"Yeah, I guess you could put it that way," Krista replied as she tentatively rubbed her temples, trying in vain to rid herself of the headache she had acquired. "Were you supercharged or was it just me?"

"I'm not sure, but I do believe that we should head inside the cave," D replied as he ushered Krista into the deep recesses of the cave. Luckily the mouth of the cave was tight and the inside was spaced. He sat down with Krista.

The wind howled almost mournfully to them as the sandstorm came. The sand that soon followed blinded all vision past the opening.

Propping her head up on her hand, Krista gave a long sigh. It was as if she were dwelling on past memories. Perhaps they were memories of friends, deaths, loved ones, or happy times. '_I wonder…just how long it will last this time. How many shall die_?' Her eyes were closed. Her body gave a slight twitch at the sight of a door covered in blood, but it was just in her head. '_I have never seen something like that before. Where did it come from_?' She concentrated on it, as if trying to recover a memory never before now remembered. And like a memory it was. She saw everything in first person point of view (not saying it is in that format, just how she saw it).

**000**

_**The door opened to reveal what looked like a man lying in the middle of a grand hall, his face turned away from her. Small hands reached out, lightly touching the man's blond hair. Most likely Krista's younger self fell back as her touch made the man fall to pieces like a jigsaw puzzle. His head rolled about on the floor, coming to a stop between her feet with his face turned to her. His eyes were torn out of their sockets, blood flowing from the empty caverns like twin rivers, while his jaw hung loosely as if the bones were broken beyond repair. His arms had fallen away, clearly torn off and not cut off. The legs were bent awkwardly like a dog's and stretched out. The walls were decorated with blood and in the middle of a wall hung the man's emerald eyes. The scream that cut through the air was most definitely that of a child's around seven.**_

_**She jumped up, running away from the horrid scene. Surely only someone as cruel as the Devil could do something to a person and then put them together again like a Human puzzle with bent and missing pieces. She ran through a few halls before seeing a woman with black hair sprawled out on a wooden chair in a small study. Upon reaching the woman, she slipped and fell in gore. As horrible as it seemed to her, she managed to level her eyes with the woman. There was a very noticeable slash over the woman's stomach that was surprisingly caved in. All around the room her organs were tacked to the walls and ceiling, still dripping blood. Turned over lamps, broken objects such as chairs, and papers littering the ground were good evidence that there had been a struggle.**_

_**Glancing down at her once white dress after she stood, young Krista tried desperately to wring out all blood and wipe away innards. When she could rid herself of no more, she quickly walked down the corridors to where the front door was along with the jigsaw man. Standing in front of the door was a man wearing farmers' clothes. His red eyes only proved that he was a Vampire and not a Human. "Do you know what it felt like to rape your mother's corpse?" he asked young Krista.**_

"_**Rape; you raped my mother?"**_

"_**Oh yes, but not just I. Of course you won't remember anything by tomorrow," he replied around his laughs. He grabbed her by the head.**_

"_**Why would you want to erase my memories?"**_

"_**Because you would surly come to foil our plans just like your idiotic parents tried to do. Just see how they ended up! They're like my new toys!" He pulled out a finger from the inside of his pocket, pulling on dangling tendons and muscles to make the joints move. "But don't worry, I shall put you at an orphanage were you can be tortured by the Humans. Hey, if you're lucky, they might accept you as a Human. But just to make sure that you still suffer, I'll leave a little note stating what you really are. By the way, did you like your father's new look?" Scratching the side of his head like some bored adolescent, he kicked the man's head into Krista's arms. "I would just rape you too, but fortunately for you I have orders not to do squat. I think traumatizing that child brain of yours shouldn't be noticeable. Okay, let's go." With a cruel, giddy smile, he pulled her around with him as he tore up the man and woman even more, throwing their pieces and organs into the air like bloody confetti and shoving it into her face. At one point, he even had the nerve to wrap one of their intestines around her neck like a scarf, rip out the woman's eyes, and loop them around her ears to create horrifying, grotesque earrings. Even with her struggling to get away, he held her there, dressing her up like a morbid doll.**_

"_**See, that wasn't so bad," the Vampire said, kicking a head down the hall for good measure so it would splatter against the wall like a giant pancake. His dark laugh resonated through the halls. Watching her claw at the entrails intertwined with her hair and hung elsewhere was simply comical!**_

_**Young Krista visibly shook where she stood. There was a foul taste in her mouth. She had vomited once from him ripping out the woman's tongue with his bare teeth and then crushing her head by literally jumping on it, spraying brain matter and blood across the floor. Just standing there she was on the verge of vomiting again from the taste. She cried out as he violently grabbed her head. An electric current surged through her head, bleeping everything she had seen before she blacked out.**_

**000**

Eighteen year old Krista's eyes snapped open. She was down on her hands and knees dry heaving. Her arms felt like jelly to her, threatening to give out at any time. Realizing that her hair was not in her face, she glanced up long enough to see D holding back her hair and one of his arms holding her up. Feeling hot water flow into her mouth and a knot form in her throat, she turned her head to its original position. She spilled the contents of her stomach, though it was not blood but instead stomach acid. After wiping her mouth with her sleeve and covering up the small spot, she pushed herself away from D to sit in a corner of the cave. Having consecutive flashbacks of what she had seen, her body still quaked. She buried her face in her hands, crying with silent sobs.

D made to sit next to Krista, pausing momentarily when she inched further away. What dream could possibly disturb someone enough to make them vomit? D wanted to know the answer to that very question, so why not ask her? "What happened in your dream?"

Looking up to D with a slight twitch, Krista gave a quirky smile before leaning back against the wall. "I saw people get ripped to tiny pieces like party confetti and put together like neat little puzzles to see if you can put their body parts in the right place." While she was talking, Krista threw sand into the air and then drew mangled-looking stick people in the dirt. Then a little light bulb shined in her head before exploding. "As a matter of fact, there was a guy in there that I have seen before. I think his name was Raurrie, no, Riedikke. Where did Raurrie come from? No matter, but is it night now? Or is this early morning? What ever the case, I have been asleep for a while." Even with the smile on her face, tears still ran.

"It's early night," D replied, not bothering to lean back against the wall of the cave as Krista had done. Instead, he stretched out where he lay, seeming to blend in with the shadows as his brilliant eyes closed. Minutes of silence passed, excluding the wind, before D heard soft singing. The song was old, known by few after the year 1999. Not many passed it down. That very song was **John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt**. Opening his eyes calmly, D looked to Krista, watching her lips move as she softly sang the song to herself.

'_John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt;_

_His name is my name too._

_Whenever we go out,_

_The people always shout,_

"_There goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt",_

_Lalalalalalalala._'

The song was repeated over and over, becoming quieter with each time. When D could no longer hear Krista singing, he sat up in his spot. "Go to sleep. If the storm is gone by morning, you need energy to leave."

Giving a sad sigh, Krista slowly shook her head, letting her hair swing about. "I can't, or I won't; I am too afraid of my own dreams." Turning to look in D's general direction, she jumped in her spot when she saw that D was only mere inches from her from his original yard. "Don't **do** that! You scared the fuzzy out of me." When she managed to gain ground in her state of mind, she watched D gradually lean closer.

When D had managed to corner Krista to stop her from inching away, he stopped to where his lips were only a little ways from her ear. "Sleep," he whispered in a calm tone, hypnotizing to those susceptible to his voice without room for resistance. Sleep she did, almost immediately after the word left his pale lips. After laying Krista down from sitting up, D stood and pulled a small blanket from a saddlebag on the horse before placing it upon her. With that done, he placed himself in his original spot (now a couple of yards from Krista). He closed his eyes, looking deader than dead and falling into a dreamless sleep.

**000**

It was cold; really cold. The chill was a definite sign that winter was approaching. The blanket that was wrapped around Krista did nothing to stop the freezing temperature from invading. Looking to D, she wondered how he could stand it. Scooting towards D, she lightly pressed into D's side, curling up like a small kitten. She tried to control her shivering, stopping when she slowly started to heat up. For just a slight moment, she had butterflies in her stomach for doing such a thing. '_Oh well, as long as he does not mind when I wake or when he wakes_.'

_November 4, 13,012_

'_Holy cow, I didn't think I would get this warm. Wait, what else is on me besides the blanket_?' Krista thought as she first awoke. Her eyes fluttered open, showing her that D was not awake but his cloak was draped over her. '_I guess that he did not mind_.' The howling of the still-kicking wind made way to her ears, signaling that the storm still raged. The room was becoming lighter. Thinking of nothing better to do, Krista removed herself from the blanket and D's cloak, neatly folding the blanket to place in the saddlebag.

When she had finished, Krista sat in the sand before drawing whatever came to mind with a sharp stick she found lying about. Some drawings came out as people while others came out as creatures. Two drawings were very noticeable; one of Hand and the other of D. Time passed and she drew the entire time. By the time noon arrived, Krista started to feel a tad bit worried that D had yet to awake and he looked deader than he did that past night. She waited a little longer until the time was around Three Noon, but he still did not wake. Taking her chances, Krista kneeled next to D before calling out his name. When he did not reply, she said his name louder while lightly shaking his shoulder. Her calls gradually grew louder until she was near the point of screaming his name.

Stopping her calls, Krista lifted up the sleeve of D's shirt, bearing his arm to her. '_Okay, if the Five Seconds Bruiser does not wake him then I will really worry_.' Cautiously reaching out to D's arm, she grabbed a small bit of his flesh between her thumb and forefinger before violently pinching and rubbing the skin together. Just as quickly as she had served the bruiser, D's fist was colliding with her throat. As her body slammed into the far wall of the cave, dirt and rocks were sent into the air. '_Note to self; do not inflict pain when D will not awaken. I will be punched in the throat or worse. Golly, that is some right hook he has_.' Before she was punched, she heard a low growl coming from D. After the punch, she could only hear herself gasping for air. Even through the pain, Krista was celebrating with herself. "Yeah, he's not…dead!" she croaked out, her fists thrown in the air. Watching D hastily move from his spot on the floor to her, she winced when he lifted her chin up to reveal her neck. Her fists dropped to her sides. '_One thing goes up; the thing that was up comes down_.'

Studying Krista's neck, D watched a dark bruise slowly appear. Looking down to his arm, he saw his own bruise that was quickly fading away. "Are you okay?" he asked, releasing her chin. How very odd and rare it was to catch D asking about the wellbeing of another. There was a small nod. "Why did you pinch me?"

"Am I not…allowed to worry about you? You have been asleep…for ever. It's past Three Noon." Krista paused, still struggling to obtain full breaths without struggling. When her breathing became easier, she started to speak again. "Next time I think you are dead, I'll remember to leave you rot before I even touch you."

"You could have just called my name."

A deadpanned look made way to Krista's face. "Oh, I did; I even yelled it at you. It was like you were dead. I couldn't see or hear you breathe, and you were not moving. But I will take the punch as payback for the pinch and hitting you in Puregon." Rubbing her neck, she glanced to the area of her drawings. Sure, they were very detailed from the start. But when the dust fell, nearly all were disoriented. A few did stand out, just as clear as they had been. They were of Hand, D, and someone who looked strangely similar to D. It struck Krista weird that she could draw a face of someone so clearly that she had never seen before…except for in a dream. "D, I have only seen this guy's face once. Since you have been around the block a few times, I wanted to know if you knew or know who he is. Have you seen him?"

With his jaw clenching, D wiped away the face in the sand. No answer came from him as he just stared in the same spot. '_He was long gone before the girl's time of birth, unless she really isn't who she says she is_.' "Yesterday, you called me Prince; why?"

"I did?" Krista inquired, her brows slightly raised in slight surprise. "I must have been talking in my sleep, because I do not remember that. Was it before or after I tasted your blood?"

"Before, right after you grabbed my arm," D replied as flat as could be.

'_Ah, so that's why there is just a big blank. But I had a dream. Why did I fall asleep? How did I fall asleep? Wait a tick, D was in there I think. No, that guy was like the guy in the picture. Okay, now I am getting somewhere. __**No, you're not.**__ Shut up!_' Krista stopped her train of thought to look D in the eyes. Her lips parted as she was about to tell her revelation. But no, the thing farthest from what she wanted to say came out first. "You have very beautiful eyes. They go nicely with your figure and face." A dark tint rushed into Krista's cheeks as she slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with surprise. "No, that is not what I wanted to say. I wanted to say that you are either handsome or beautiful but I can't seem to figure out which yet." She swore, slapping herself in the face. It is funny how fast one can forget about a bruised throat. "Let us try this again, shall we? I meant to say-'_Get this one right, stupid_'-that you are perfect!" Out of agitation, Krista slammed her fist into the side of the wall, taking out a large chunk no matter how packed and strong the rock was. "Why don't I just come right out and say that I actually like him? I have already said everything else that I thought." She stopped, her mouth hanging open. "I just said that out loud!" Turning her back to D, she slammed her forehead into the wall. The swearing that could be heard between each slam could put a vulgar pirate to shame. A small twitch formed in her right eye and she stopped bashing her head on the rock as Hand's obnoxious laughter filled the cave.

"Oh, I love this. It is like a teen soap opera, only this is more amusing to see," Hand said around his laughs. "I will be sorry for bringing this up, but I still can't believe that D thought you were actually going to kiss him in Puregon. Krista, you really should have told him from the start. It's not everyday that Stud finds someone as amusing as you." More laughs erupted from his tiny mouth. The laughs ceased to exist when a ghastly aura came from Krista. The air in the cave suddenly felt very thick and tense.

"If you value your life, Hand, I would suggest that you stop with your remarks **now**!" Hand had made no remark to what was said back. His face quickly disappeared into D's palm. Krista did not know that her eyes were blazing like the fires of Hell with a blue tinge around the edges, holding no mercy for those who came into her path. The more she calmed down, the more her eyes turned to their natural green and the air around them felt normal. "Okay, now that I have let everything out; yesterday, when I obviously called you Prince, I had a dream about the guy that you so humbly wiped out from the drawing. There was a little boy standing next to him. The man called him _Prince_. The room they were in was very much like a ballroom with many others standing about. And what was so weird was that all of them were staring at the little boy with hatred and none of them were breathing. And you look like the little boy. Maybe that was why I called you Prince in my sleep. But that was some odd dream. It was like the guy was celebrating something or maybe he was trying to encourage the others."

Still recovering from the initial shock of what Krista had done before telling him about her dream, D tried to get around the thought of how she saw what she did. '_That was no dream but an old memory long past. How could she see my memories_?' D thought to himself. Catching a small glimpse of the tear in his shirt, D saw what looked like dried blood. Pressing on the fabric around were his gash once was, he watched as old blood oozed out from the pressure. '_Did she see my memories by touching my blood? She did not do that with the Werewolf. What is she_?'

Easily grabbing Krista's hand in his own, D made a small cut on his thumb before wiping the blood that flowed out onto her hand. At first she just stared at him in confusion like she was asking him why he did that. Then her eyes started to fade away, like she was dying, or perhaps in deep thought. D watched her silently as her features never changed. After a minute passed, D noticed tears start to stream down her face and fall to the sand.

While still crying, Krista's eyes slowly unglazed to their original bright green. "So they are not dreams?" she whispered out. "How can such things happen to you and you never feel anything? Is what you do more important than the feelings of those around you or of those who care?" Her quiet questions went unanswered as D moved to the other side of the cave away from Krista. '_Yes__, I guess that it is more important._'

The rest of the day passed by without a word said between the pair. The next morning the sandstorm was gone. Both mounted the black steed before setting their minds to getting to grasslands. The days passed like minutes ticking away on a clock. Neither of them seemed to notice that five days had passed since the end of the storm. Although, both did notice that the land was slowly changing from desert to the grassland. But for now it was savanna. They paused every so often to let the horse drink on what water there was and munch on the sparse grass. It was the night of a new moon that D pulled the horse to a stop for good until the next morn, in which the horse seemed thankful for.

The first thing D did was starting a fire once he had dismounted. From under his hat, D watched Krista stretch much like a cat, her back arching up until a nice pop resounded throughout the air. When the fire was lit, he removed his sword, placing it next to himself, and leaned back onto the sand that was still warm from the day's sunlight. He was slightly surprised when Krista placed herself down next to him.

"I am…sorry about what I said. What I asked did not need to be asked," Krista apologized quietly. "It was rude of me." She only received a nod in recognition, which was good enough for her. She did not care if he ever forgave her. Not really trying to sleep, she closed her eyes and forced her breathing and heartbeat to slow after a short while, her breathing more so than her heart. The fear of her heart stopping from trying to slow it prevented her. When she was sure D was asleep after a long while, she silently sat up and pulled out a dagger from her hip. She pulled up her hair and thrust the dagger up through her hair. Cautiously, Krista felt of how short her hair was. Her hair stopped just below her earlobes, the black tips long gone. '_I think I have lost my bloody mind_.' With that, she leaned down to her original position and closed her eyes, wishing for quick sleep. The sleep came, letting her forget about her hair loss for now.

_November 9, 13,012_

Awaking to a loud scream, D's first instinct was to unleash the wrath of his sword upon something. Upon looking around, he noted that Krista was holding fistfuls of her hair in her hands with a skeptical look glued to her face.

"What are you screaming about?" Hand asked loudly. "I was actually having a nice dream." There was a long pause as Hand thought back to what he had been dreaming about. "I had finally managed to detach myself from D and I could walk around…with chicks! And I didn't get yelled at! It was **Heaven**!"

Ducking her head between her legs, Krista pulled at her hair hard enough to the point that it was liable for her to rip it out. "My hair," she stated as she pulled at her hair even harder than before. She picked up the large amount that had been lying on the ground. "It grew back over night! Hair does not grow that fast! What **happened**? I'm a bloody **freak**!"

Stepping over the smoldering fire, D crouched down to Krista's level before grabbing the hair she had cut off. "Is there a reason you cut your hair?" Sure, maybe she wanted a new hairstyle, but it never hurts to ask, sometimes.

"I wanted to see what would happen," Krista replied. "I did not think _this_ would happen." She took in deep, ragged breaths, trying to calm herself down. The deep breaths did manage to cool her down, but on the inside war was raging about what she had said to D just a few days ago and that her hair was growing to its original length overnight. She, too, was currently questioning whether she was completely, if at all, Human.

When he was sure that she was calm, D grabbed Krista's hands and pulled out two daggers from the inside of his boot, one made of silver and the other was just a normal metal dagger. "Do you mind if I test something?" he asked her, receiving a small shake of the head no. "Forgive me but this _will_ hurt," he said as he placed the tip of the silver dagger in the middle of her hand. With his palm pressed flat against the opposite end of the dagger, he quickly thrust his hand downward until the hilt met her palm. He waited for a scream or a yell but he was met with only a quiet, pain filled whimper. While watching Krista's impaled hand closely, D noticed small wisps of smoke drifting up from the wound.

With her eyes following the trails of blood down her arm and the blade to get her mind off the pain, Krista watched the drops of blood fall to the golden sand, dyeing it a nice vermilion colour. Her attention returned to the pain in her still impaled hand when it twitched with irritation, a tad bit more smoke rising from it than there had been. When her other hand was mentioned for, she shakily held it out to D, closing her eyes to await the pain. Her hand jerked as the cold metal shot through her hand and down to the hilt once again, blood quickly trailing after it. She looked back to the smoking hand as it twitched more and more.

"D, will you please take out the silver dagger?" Krista asked; her voice as unsteady as her hands. She was glad when D complied before he studied the other hand again. When nothing happened after several minutes, Krista winced as D pulled out the regular dagger, feeling slightly embarrassed when D proceeded to clean her hands before his daggers. She was even more embarrassed when D pulled out a bandage roll and tightly wrapped both of her hands. '_Bloody heck, he is going to cut off my circulation. Don't complain though, he is just trying to help_.'

"Don't move your hands for a while," D said flatly as he stood to put away the roll, leaving Krista there for the moment. When he was done, he turned around to face Krista after hearing a series of light laughs.

With her face red from lack of air, Krista was on her back in fits of laughter. She paused long enough to take a breath and explain. "I had the _weirdest_ visual of you." She laughed for a moment before clearing her throat and continuing. "You were not wearing anything except for a…pink tutu with a matching leotard and you were dancing around in circles like a girl." More laughs erupted again as she tried to stand. When she was up to her full height, her knees buckled and she fell back down.

With a deadpanned look, D only shook his head when he saw the odd image flash before his eyes. When thought about hard enough, it was quite embarrassing to see. Pink fu-fu things, leotards, tutus, and D were a no-go, no matter which way you looked at it. He suddenly glanced to his boots, wondering just exactly how much sand was in them. Gracefully sitting down on the ground, he tugged off his right boot before turning it upside-down. It is sad how much one boot can hold, including his foot. Sand poured out like a small waterfall, leaving a little pile on the ground. He looked to Krista out of the corner of his eye only to see her doing the same thing. He replaced his boot and did the same procedure to his left.

When he finished and had replaced his other boot, D stood behind Krista as she tried in vain to replace her tiny shoe-like boots without moving her hands. Well, it was more of a looming look, but still not. When she did not succeed in getting one on part way, he crouched down in front of her and grabbed the shoe from her. He then placed it on, doing the same with the other. After he was done, he pulled Krista up in to a standing position. "Are you ready to leave?" he asked her, his hands still holding onto her arms with there near a foot of space between their bodies. He received a small nod as she fidgeted in her spot from the closeness. Guiding her over to the steed, he easily picked her up and placed her on the saddle. As he was swinging his leg over the saddle, Krista opened her mouth to protest against being picked up like a small child, but he interrupted her. "You could not have mounted without using your hands."

Closing her mouth, Krista gave what looked like a pout, mumbling incoherent things under her breath. If D focused on listening to her hard enough, it sounded like she was speaking a mixture of German and Romanian. Krista stopped mumbling to herself, for she knew only one word from the latter of the two. '_How on Earth did I just say all of that and not know what it meant? Well, I did know what I was saying, but I don't know Romanian. I think I need to see a psychiatrist…or something like that. Maybe I need to go do past regression. Maybe that would help me. __**Or maybe it's time you checked into the psych ward. I know…shut up…**_'

Stopping her train of thought, Krista glanced down at the moving ground, wondering just how long it had been since D had started them off again. '_Well, a few more days of travel to go before we stop and then go again. Is this what he has been doing in his so far life every day? Ooo, but I know how to keep myself entertained. Let's see how far I can get on Knick-Knack before I either run out of rhyming words or D cracks_.' Taking a deep breath, she twisted around to face D. Her smile, for the moment, was anything but innocent.

"What are you planning?" D asked her, momentarily glancing down to look at her in the eyes.

"Oh jeez, you are starting to read me like a book. Something tells me that would not be a good thing because then you would know what I was going to do before I got the chance to do it. Where is the fun in that? A life without mystery is no fun at all."

"But a life _with_ mystery can be dangerous," D replied flatly, tucking Krista's hair behind her ear. "Have you ever noticed that you have pointed ears?" he asked her as he tapped the tips of her ears.

"Yeah, but what is wrong with having pointed ears?" Krista replied. She held tight as D gradually slowed the horse down to a stop. Looking up to D, she grabbed his hat without bending her hand and watched as he pulled back his hair to show his ear.

D's ear…was most definitely pointed.

As bright as Krista _could_ be, this day was just not her day. Any possible conclusions could be made about the similarity between their pointed ears. "What's your point?" was not one of them. Her denseness made even the horse want to slap its forehead in exasperation. For D to point out her ears was like him screaming, "Krista, you **are not** Human!"

D gave what sounded like a light sigh. While flicking the reins, he replaced his hat in its rightful place. Oh yes, she had a lot to learn. And the time it took for them to travel to their final destination would hopefully be all they needed. "So, you never told me what you were planning." There was a slight chuckle from Krista before she started to sing.

'_This old man,_

_He played one,_

_He played knick-knack on my drum._

_With a knick-knack,_

_Patty-whack,_

_Give a dog a bone,_

_This old man went rolling home._

_This old man,_

_He played two,_

_He played knick-knack on my shoe._

_With a knick-knack,_

_Patty-whack,_

_Give a dog a bone,_

_This old man went rolling home_.'

Yep, this would be a long trip and training/learning session.

* * *

**AN: **Happy Belated Christmas and aHappy bloody New Year.

Smite me for not updating for so long. I thank those who waited for waiting. I will post the versions of chapters 1 to 4 later. I hope that this was better/weirder than my last chapters. Meh, I was still cruel to Krista. Also, I have no clue what I was thinking when I wrote this or what I might have been on. Part of the time I was hyper. Another part I was being mean. The rest is kind of being weird.


	6. Never Ending Madness and the Park

**AN:** Yeah! I received a flame for chapter one. Finally, someone tells me what I did wrong. It may not have been a flame but it was to me. It told me some things that I needed to hear/read. In addition, I thank everyone else whom reviews. …Just remembered to mention this, but some parts in here may sound absurd or just crazy. Also…it will probably seem like it is jumping around… But bear with me…

I also have to thank Dragon's Ghost, Blackrose2005, Lord of the Shadows, Vampiress, my Mother, B. F., and R. M. for all of their wonderful/crazy ideas. Dragon's Ghost, I am thanking you because the story 'Unforeseen Challenges' that you wrote…there is a part in here where something is mentioned.

**Disclaimer:** As before, I do not own D, his Parasite thingy, or the Vampire Hunter D peoples. Nor do I try to own these; I just try to put truth into the story. Only Hideyuki Kikuchi may own these things. No suing allowed, please.

* * *

**Resurrection and Recall**

**Chapter 6: Never Ending Madness and the Park**

-

_November 9, 13,012_

'_This old man,_

_He played one hundred thirteen,_

_He played knick-knack on my spleen,_

_With a knick-knack,_

_Patty-whack,_

_Give a dog a bone,_

_This old man went rolling home._

_This old man,_

_He played one hundred fourteen,_

_He played knick-knack on my-_'

"Would you shut **up**?!" came the monstrous roar from Hand. Krista's insistent singing had worn raw on Hand's last nerve for this day. It seemed as though D actually liked Hand being the one irritated instead of doing the irritating for he never told her to be quiet.

The sun was setting and Krista was becoming hyperactive; it was likely she would start a new song. This was unacceptable by Hand's standards. "If you sing anymore of that song, I'll…" He cut off on what he was saying. It was not as if he could exactly jump out of D's hand and pummel Krista into a bloody pulp. Maybe if he just severed himself from the rest of D's arm he could choke her. Yeah, that was a pleasing idea. A vivid visual made way into Hand's mind, showing him strangling the life from Krista as her limbs flailed about wildly and her eyes bugged out. He gave a quiet snort. How he would love to do that.

There had been a long pause from Krista as Hand had his little visuals. Her mind had been raging on and on during the silence about what she could do to Hand. However much Hand did not want her to sing at all, he only specified and yelled at her about **Knick-knack**. Oh, the power of annoyance Krista held in the palm of her milk-white hand. '_I can sing __**Henry the Worm**__ next just to irritate the fuzzy out of Hand_.' A grin that a sadist might wear curved the fine lines of her lips.

'_I was sittin' on the fence post_

_Chewin' on my bubblegum…_'

Here, Krista paused to make rather loud smacking noises as if she really was chewing on gum.

'_Playin' with my yo-yo…_

_Do-wop, do-wop, do-wop, do-wop…_

_When along came Henry the Worm,_

_And he was this big_.'

This time Krista paused long enough to show a small amount with her fingers. Of course, she had long since heard Hand cry out in vain for her to stop singing, but she ignored him as if he was a small, insignificant bug.

'_So I asked, "__Henry__, what happened?!"_

_And he said,_

"_Guuuuuuuuuuuuuulp!_

_I swallowed a bug."_

"_A __bug__?!_

_Ewww yuck!"_

_And then he went away…_

_Trrrrrrrch, trrrrrrrch, trrrrrrrch, trrrrrrrch…_'

By now, Krista was laughing too hard to do the hand movements that went with the song. Hunching over was all she could do to stop the aches in her stomach, her laughs coming out as wheezes. The sight of D's left hand twitching nonstop was the funniest thing she had seen in a long while. What truly made it hilarious in her eyes was that Hand kept yelling out for her to stop and then he would try to curl D's hand up in a fist to drown out the noise. However, did D let him curl up into a fist? Heck no, it was so much nicer to see the annoyer being the one annoyed.

A small amount of color suddenly caught Krista's attention on the passing ground. "Green grass!" she shouted excitedly before flipping off the galloping horse's back. How she saw it, she did not know. Rolling to a stop with dirt rising into the air, she crawled somewhat like a spider to where the small patch of grass was. She pushed her face close to the plants, breathing in deeply as the sweet scents rose into the air.

A loud whinny reached her ears as D pulled the horse around sharply. "You should smell the grass, D. It carries a heavenly scent as of now."

"I'll pass," D stated as he sat astride the steed, watching Krista silently from under his hat as she ruffled the grass and mumbled soft words in its direction. D averted his attention to the way they had been heading. A lurid light coursed through his eyes as he gazed deeper into the heavy darkness of the night.

All attention flipped back to Krista, as there was a gentle poke on his abdomen. What he really paid attention to was the hand in which she kept prodding him. "You can bend your hand."

Glancing at her hand, Krista slowly pulled away the bandages. A look of surprise crossed her face as her palm showed, small twitches forming in her right eye. She turned her hand over. "Th-they are already h-healed," she stuttered out as she pulled herself up to D on the saddle, facing him while her face cleared of all emotions.

With her hand reaching out to D, she touched his chest before prodding his biceps. Her attitude had changed from 'I am so freaked out' to 'Oh well, now I am so amazed' in only a matter of seconds as though the information leaked from a hole in her head. No doubt, she was trying to forget the whole predicament. "Jeez, your muscles are like stone. Mine are sadly not. Will you flex your arm, please?" It was like a giddy child in a sweet shop. She gave the smile of a five-year-old. A gleeful laugh came from her as D reluctantly flexed the muscles of his right arm.

With her finger pressing into his bicep, Krista tried in vain to stop a smile from forming on her face. "It isn't all squishy. You must be tense all the time, and no doubt you have had plenty of time to build up muscle." The smile that was upon her face grew wider as she looked D in the eyes. "That brings up something else," she said as she toyed with the fabric to D's attire. "I consider a person old when they hit a certain age. I am sorry to say that you have already passed that age limit, D. A person is old when they hit either 100 or 200. So, you must be older than crud." By the time Krista had stopped messing with the fabric, there was a series of wrinkles. She smoothed out the fabric with her thumb.

Suddenly placing both of her hands upon his chest, she gave a serene smile. "I love you, D, but I worry about you sometimes because you're around me." As soon as 'I love you, D' left her lips, she received a look that said she would be wise to not. "D, it was a figure of speech. It is only an infatuation, or crush, what ever you want to call it. I am sure that it will pass. So, you have nothing to worry about. When everything is over, I will be out of your hair."

Somewhere in the depths of his mind, D felt that she would not be leaving. But, right now, she was his key to finding out what was happening on the Southern Continent. And training…how much would he be able to teach her before she was tested? Well, this time was as good as any other. "Get down," he ordered as he jumped off, paying no mind to the glare that he received. "Unsheathe your daggers."

Krista did as she was told, holding the silver blades by her sides. "What're we doing?" she called out to the darkness after D disappeared. The only thing she could truly hear was the sound of D's blade sliding slowly from its sheath. The shadows started to move, grow even, as the minutes passed. Covering her eyes showed fear and weakness, but she did not care. It was not the fact that she was scared of the dark but the fact that she feared what lay within. D was within it and - to her - he was part of it. That was enough to frighten her.

"Uncover your eyes, look, and guard yourself!"

His voice carried, impossible to tell its source. It nearly thundered. His voice echoing around her increased her fear. Yet, she obeyed. All of that was before she thought about how his voice also sounded demonic or unearthly. At the whim of an off thought, she pulled away her dress and cloak so she only wore her undergarments and armor. '_Those bloody things have to last me a while. And if he comes slashing at me like some maniac, then I would be wearing rags_.'

After only a few minutes, the longer she stood there, the more she felt like sleeping. For some reason, she was expecting him to pop out and say 'Boo' as loud as possible while looking as if he had been struck by lightning, his hair standing straight out and smoking. That was until she saw D's blade gleam in the darkness, as though the sword itself was alive and excited at the thought of tasting her blood. She crossed the abnormally long blades before her, silently praying that D would not use his sword against her, although she already knew that it was a hopeless thought.

'_Now!_' her instincts and mind screamed as one. "What is 'Now'?" Her answer came soon enough. She glanced up at the sound of a high-pitched whistling, watching D emerge from the night, his sword drawn back. Acting upon instincts, she leaned back, holding the crossed daggers across her form where D's sword would make contact, as if her body knew that she could not jump away fast enough or far enough in time. As the blades struck, her body lurched under the pressure D placed upon her, her arms shaking with the strain. Testing her strength and luck, she pulled away one dagger, pressed it into the flesh of his neck. She knew he was by far stronger than she was, and that he was completely capable of overpowering her at any moment. This terrified her.

Relief washed over her being as D backed away. Although, she never really had time to do anything more than straighten herself before he swung the lethal blade down at her abdomen. She stumbled over her own feet away from the tip, falling to lie on her back. There was a stinging pain across her stomach where the blade slashed. While standing, she could not help but look down to the area of pain. Across her stomach and armor, going from side to side, was a large, deep gash. She clutched the bleeding wound, falling to her knees as the pain increased and organs shifted toward their only exit. "What are you making me do this for? I already know how to use my daggers," she grunted out. Watching the blood pour from her wound, she could literally feel each of her senses sharpen.

"If you survive this, we can move on," D replied, his voice still sounding unearthly. "Otherwise, you die." He stepped aside as a dagger soared towards his chest. Molding back into the darkness, he watched her pull an arm sleeve off her dress and tightly tie the cloth around her waist over the gash. It was then that he stepped back to stay from her sight as she walked away from her comfort zone, staring in his general direction.

Without warning, Krista disappeared from his line of view. He knew she was behind him; he could feel her breath flit across his neck. One thing was certain; she could be fast when she wished. From the corner of his eye as he quickly pivoted around, he could see Krista's fists flying at different striking points, his chin and his cheek. As he easily blocked both hands, he had no time to block her knee that came to connect with his crotch. Her other leg thrust itself into his side, the force lifting him from the ground for him to land nearly ten feet away, losing his sword in the process. As he tried stand, he was forced back down as Krista spun her leg close to the ground to strike the front of his shin, snapping the bones in two.

"Are we done yet?" Krista asked; an unusual look upon her face as though she was not really herself.

D gazed up at her, quickly seeing the gleaming light of her crimson eyes. "No," he replied coolly as he quickly snapped the bones in his leg together. Launching himself up, he thrust his shoulder into her stomach, watched the spike pierce her skin. He knocked the last dagger from her hand as they hit the ground. Standing, he moved back a few paces and watched as Krista staggered to her feet, gripping the new and old wounds.

Wiping away the blood from the corner of her mouth, she moved closer to D. A chant was born on the wind, telling – no – commanding her to stab him. Each voice resembled hers, only slightly off. The chant ushered her on. Having pulled a dagger from his belt, she swiftly ran to him before shoving that very dagger into his stomach at an angle. As soon as she let the blade go, she was pinned to the ground with her arm behind her back to where her hand was on her shoulder. The more force he used on pushing her elbow towards her shoulder, the more pain she felt. She let out a piercing scream as the bones in her arm shattered, tendons, ligaments, and possibly muscle tearing. Almost immediately, D released her arm. With intensity unknown to her, she reared her head back to hit D and shoved the dagger that was still within him deeper.

Wait... Why on Earth was she hurting D like this? That very question ran through her mind as she pinned D down to the ground with her single arm. She lurched forward as one of his daggers shot through her stomach. Not surprised in the least that she had not seen D pull out a dagger, she released her hold on him to fall onto the ground. She watched D stand above her and pull out the dagger that she lodged in his stomach.

"We can go now," he stated as he bent over to pull away the makeshift bandage and inspect the wounds in Krista's stomach. Since his wounds had already healed, he waited to see how long it would take Krista's wounds to heal, especially after he pulled the dagger from her stomach, allowing blood to gush forth.

Coughing up a mouthful of blood, Krista tried desperately to focus on D, her senses nearly dulling to the point of no return. No longer was he whole. He was instead a blurry blotch against the sky. Each passing second, the pain within her seemed to decrease a tad bit. However, that was for just her stomach. Her arm was limp and throbbed. With a strained glance at her stomach, she could easily see that her milky skin was stained vermillion. The wound from the shoulder spike healed. The other two, they were still there. Sitting up with a low groan, she clutched the two wounds, silently willed each to heal faster. A few minutes later and the pain in her abdomen was no more.

Watching Krista from beneath the brim of his hat, D could very well see the shock written across her face. Standing back just far enough for her to stand easily, he knew immediately that her arm was still crippled. With a strong grip, he pulled her close enough to hold her arm. He snapped the bones into place, letting her go, watching her fall to her knees retching. Sure, she might have wanted to strangle the life from him at that moment just to release some stress, but if she could not kill him during the fight, then it was doubtful that she would be able to during the off time. He collected his discarded sword, placing it within the sheath. "Let's go."

"Are all fights going to be somewhat like that?" Krista asked as she took up her fallen ground, cradling her arm against her chest. As she waited for his response, she stared her arm and shoulder, making the lightest of noises as she saw her skin visibly crawling, the tissues quickly reconnecting everything.

D looked back in time to notice her skin crawling before it stopped. "Perhaps." Mounting the steed in quick succession to calling it from the darkness, he watched Krista mount before him faster than he could have dared to offer help after she quickly snatched up her discarded dress, cloak, and daggers. Lightly tapping the horse with his heels, they went off in their original direction. This time though, he really did not want to hear any more of Krista's childish singing, or at least any more of **Henry the Worm**, **Knick-Knack**, and **John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt**. That was what he hoped, but a song soon took its place as number one.

'_When you're sliding into first,_

_And your pants begin to burst,_

_Diarrhea! Diarrhea!_

_When you're sliding into second,_

_And it begins to beckon,_

_Diarrhea! Diarrhea!_

_When you're sliding into third,_

_And you feel a greasy turd,_

_Diarrhea! Diarrhea!_

_When you're sliding into home,_

_And your pants are filled with foam,_

_Diarrhea! Diarr-_'

Looking up at D when he slapped a hand over her mouth and said something forcefully (perhaps "Shut Up" or "Stop"), Krista gave a confused look. "What did you do that for?" she asked only to hear a muffled mumble. Grabbing his hand, she tried in vain to pull the hand away. When his hand did not budge, she started screaming as loud as possible for him to take away his hand. Again, there was just a mumble heard. After minutes had passed, she seriously wanted to strangle him more than she had earlier. Then a thought hit her; what if she licked his hand? Nah, he would probably sit there as if nothing had happened. '_Pervert_,' she thought to herself, not really meaning it. '_No, that is most likely Hand_.' Lightly elbowing him in the stomach, she received nothing in return. The nudge became gradually harder and harder. Still, there was no response, even when she jabbed him. With one last jab, the force she put into it was enough to shove him off the end of the speeding horse, pulling her with him.

After rolling to a stop, D found himself on the ground, the air knocked from his lungs, with Krista upon him. He did not pay any mind to the fact that she was currently straddling his waist, but instead it was the fact of how close their lips were; they were nearly touching. What he noticed after that was that she was leaning closer. He never moved, hoping that by some chance she would come out of her daze from falling so quickly. As her lips quickly changed course for his ear, he prepared himself for anything. What he received was quite simple.

"What did you slap your bloody hand over my mouth for?!" she yelled out angrily.

"The song was disgusting." Watching Krista push herself away, he could see the evident fury in her eyes.

"Sure! You can stand to watch people shove entrails into themselves, cut people in half or decapitate them, and deal with rotting corpses but hearing that song is disgusting?! How is that possible?!" If Hand bothered to show up any time soon, she knew from the start that she would probably cut off D's hand and toss it into the depths of a lake with concrete tied to it. "Sometimes, this is the only entertainment I can give myself because you are so droll."

'_D, I think she has PMS, or she is bipolar. Don't tick her off any more_,' Hand warned, the voice resonating throughout D's head. If he would have said it aloud though, he knew he would be no more. As a matter of fact, if he said it loud enough for any woman to hear, he was afraid that she would probably kill him, not just cut him off and banish him to the depths of some lake or ocean.

It was at that moment in which Krista stood, giving an agitated sigh over the petty subject and D. Turning away from D - to match her mood, rather hastily - she began to walk briskly in the direction in which they had been heading. In every way, she knew she would place the entire incident in a steel box and say away with it, but there were those days when she could not do so very easily. It was as though one day she would forget the entire thing in five minutes and the next day she would hold a grudge.

As her feet glided over the ground, she had to wonder why she began sprinting, though the reason perplexed her. Truly, the only motive she had locked in her mind at that moment was either a need, or want, to get away from D, if only for a short time. Then more popped up like advertisements in her head to explain why she did not want to be around him. Perhaps it was because she was terrified at the thought that he would be upset over what she said. On the other hand, perhaps she had a strange fear that he would hunt her down and then try to spar with her again, or teach her something that would be painful in the end. Either of those ways, staying away from D sounded heavenly. At the same time, though, a part of her ached to think of being away from D for any amount of time longer than a bit.

About a mile into the desert from where she had begun sprinting; D gradually neared Krista upon the steed. His coat whipped wildly in the wind as the creature pulled along her side. The whole reason he had stationed them so far behind her instead of capturing her the instant she took off was because he thought she wanted to be alone. It was probably a good thing, seeing as she did, in a way. When he was riding before her, he snapped the horse's reins to the side, forcing her to stop before she smacked into the horse's left flank. With that done, he watched her collapse like a child's worn-out rag doll. "Ready to go?" he asked, paying no mind to how she lightly kicked her feet against the ground in a way a very young child would have done while throwing a tantrum.

"You're going to train and spar with me until we can no longer, aren't you?" she sighed into the ground, glancing up long enough to see D nod his head yes. "Then sure, I am _so_ ready. But…I'm sorry for the blowup back there." Slowly rising, she stared off into the darkness towards the south, purposely avoiding D's gaze for the time being.

As a slightly chilled wind blew past her, she felt guilt, guilt for being angry and upset at D. The feeling was soon all but forgotten as, for a few brief seconds, her entire field of vision extended, giving her a quick glimpse of a tower in the distance. She rubbed her eyes before gazing out again, but everything was once more dark. "Is there…a town out there?"

"Yes," D replied, staring deep into the darkness. In the town, he knew that there would be a clothing store. Perhaps there would be a place in the town, removed from most people, which would give him a chance to train and test her. It just depended on what was there. Reaching down, he wrapped his arm around Krista, pulling her up into the saddle without her say. As she was swinging one leg to the opposite side of the horse so she might straddle it, he lightly tapped his heels into the sides of the poor animal, starting them off. Not even five minutes later, he could hear Krista whispering to herself. As strange as it would be to someone else, he had seen her talk to herself too many times for it to be abnormal.

"Alright! But, now that everything is over, I feel tired. **Or do you feel weak?** Both and I bet it's from us sparring, or at least the cuts. How did those gashes heal so fast? And, why is it only now that I seem to heal faster?! **Because you are a weirdo…simple as that.** Uh-huh, yeah, you keep thinking that. Hmm, I wonder what would happen…" As the last words left her lips, Krista pulled a dagger from her belt, holding the metal against the skin of her palm. Drawing the edge across the flesh easily drew a line of fresh blood. Within a few seconds, the cut healed. Seemingly amazed, she hastily repeated the process over and again. "This is so _awesome_!"

Watching Krista slice up her hand, D had the strange sensation that she enjoyed mutilation, or blood, perhaps pain that was not too severe or harsh. Somehow, though, this thought seemed to fit her perfectly, as well. Everyone has their pros and cons, such as himself. He had a countenanced carbuncle in his hand. The pro of that; it could accomplish things where he was incapable of doing so. The cons just happened to be that the creature could talk, throw insults, tease, and be obnoxious.

Stopping his train of thought, he allowed his eyes to wander down and rest upon Krista. No longer was she rabidly cutting her palm to shreds. Instead, she was cutting her palm, dabbing her index finger quickly into the blood before the wound could close, and drawing smiley faces across the bare skin of her arm. His previous thoughts surfaced as he watched her turn to writing with the blood. With such thoughts in mind, he decided to ask, "Do you have a cutting, blood, or pain fetish?"

Twisting around, the blade of the dagger still pressed firmly into her palm, Krista looked up innocently to match D's piercing eyes, even if she came to his nose while standing. The smile she gave was serene as she drew the blade quickly across her hand, leaving a deep gash. "No," she stated in an equally calm tone. As she returned to her previous position, she could feel the heat pouring from D as his eyes bore holes into the back of her head. For the longest while, she managed to ignore the feeling. That was until the gaze became more intense. Normally, anyone would have long since caved in. However, no, it had taken a good five minutes for the hairs on the back of her neck and arms to stand. In the meantime, she cleaned the blood from her dagger; returned it to its rightful place, and slipped on the dress and cloak that had been sitting in her lap, tearing away the other arm of the dress to even it out.

One Minute Later…

"Jeez!" she yelled, rubbing furiously at her neck and arms to flatten the standing hairs. That one-minute longer had been enough to make her snap. "I have a cutting and blood fetish! It's just; I normally try to keep it on the inside, but figuring out that I was beginning to heal quickly, it just slipped out. Is that what you were waiting for?!"

"Yes! That's what I-we wanted to hear!" blurted out Hand. It was terrific! Now he had something against Krista, given the fact she should ever slice down some people. Well, that is what he believed. Here was his philosophy: If Krista kills someone then revenge-seekers would kill her in return, with equivalency, because she could not deny that she did not do it to see blood, seeing as she did just admit to the addiction. Wow! What a belief!

Strangely enough, Krista did not pay attention to what Hand said, nor would she have cared had she heard. In fact, the only thing she truly heard at that time was D breathing. Although his breathing was slow and shallow, to her it, sounded as though he was breathing heavily. When she cocked her head just right, she thought she could even hear his heart thump softly through every layer of clothing and flesh. '_This is so strange_,' she thought, subconsciously plugging one ear with her finger. '_That's it! I'm losing my mind! First, I heal abnormally fast, including my hair. Then, I see as if it were day. Now, I am hearing things_.' As if from an outburst of pure insanity, she began to cackle like an evil genius, a deep laugh. Through her laughing, she asked, "D, can you hear my heart beat or me breathing, at least sometimes?" The look she earned was one that said, 'There is another thing you should know,' stopping her chuckles.

With a very quiet sigh, though it was more of a drawn out breath, D continued to gaze outward. "Why?" he asked after pausing, watching her shrug in a carefree way. "Normally, yes; can you hear mine?" With the nod that followed as a good enough answer, he gazed out once more.

With the new crop of information, the thoughts from the days prior began filling his psyche. From the clues given to him, she could be one of three things, or perhaps all three: a Mutant, Werewolf, or Dhampir. It was highly unlikely that she was a Werewolf. For one thing, she did not grow an excess of hair and transform on a full moon, nor did she have a tendency of howling at the moon. She often gazed at the moon, though, her eyes seemingly glued to its cold beauty. Mutant was a bit harder to say as a possibility and rule out as one. Mutants could _look_ Human enough, but usually had some strange ability if they did. Others could look half-animal while having supernatural powers. Krista had yet to show anything along those lines, but it was still a possibility. Then there was a Dhampir, one born of Noble and Human blood. Her being a Dhampir was the more probable choice. Mutants, Dhampirs, and Werewolves alike could heal quickly. Normally, Mutants ate Human food – maybe even a Human, all together – with about the appetite of a Human, while Dhampirs ate Human food in very small portions. Werewolves and Dhampirs – maybe even Mutants - were known to have a taste for blood and be able to tell how it tasted, such as sweet or bitter, perhaps sour. All three races could most certainly have pointed ears, but it was Dhampirs that normally carried the traits that gave them beauty and flawless skin. Normally seen in Mutants and Dhampirs was the trait for pale skin. Agility and strength ran with all three races. Along the lines of seeing and hearing, Dhampirs and Werewolves were sharper in those senses, including the sense of smell, though some Mutants could also carry the same trait. In addition, Dhampirs, much like the Werewolves, craved the night, tended to be more alert, and seemed to age precariously slow, stopping at a certain age. The crimson eyes, however, most definitely descended from the Noble line of blood, and very rarely from the Mutants and Shape-shifters. However, an allergic reaction to silver mostly resided within the Werewolf line.

D carefully processed all the traits, linking certain ones to Krista. He knew she had many of them, but it appeared that she was just now acquiring some of them. Earlier, he had seen her pupils focus in the way a cat's eye might, dilating to take in more light and focus on certain things or contract to take in less light and focus on other things. The times he had seen this were when she caught sight of the patch of grass and as she gazed towards the town. '_If she is either one of those three races, why is she just now obtaining her abilities_?' Ending his thoughts on the matter for the moment, he returned his attention to the tower in the distance. Though Krista could not, at least yet, he could see as though it were midday. The tower was large, larger than most. '_It must be a courthouse, or a clock tower_,' he thought. '_It will take until morning to get to town_.'

Looking thoughtfully up at D as he was calculating and thinking, Krista subconsciously bent only the second knuckle of each finger, excluding her thumb, to where the rest of her finger was flexible. Turning her attention towards her index finger, she flicked the end of it, watching the relaxed joint move freely. Seemingly fascinated, she continuously wiggled the joint, amazed how it felt like there was no bone connected to the last joint.

Her eyes traveled once more to D, and then his hand. "D? Can you do this?" she asked, showing him her finger and replaying her previous actions. With a small smile upon her face, she watched as D removed his hand from the reins and tried to do as she had done. His finger curled in towards his palm. "Relax the muscle moving the last joint," she instructed, carefully grabbing his hand. She pressed his hand flat against her own before pressing the end of her finger into the second joint down from his fingertip. Moving her other hand up, she then pushed his finger down to lie along hers. When she moved both hands away, she watched as his finger stayed in the position. After waiting a short while, she grabbed the end of his nail, moving it up and down, and only that joint moved. "There," she said, "Try to do it with the others, now!"

D, almost awkwardly, bent each finger to look as the first, briefly pondering the reasons as to why he was yielding so easily to Krista's whims. With such thoughts on mind, he had to wonder about her statement from earlier: "_It is only an infatuation, or crush, what ever you want to call it. I am sure that it will pass. So, you have nothing to worry about. When everything is over, I will be out of your hair_." Why is it that he had so much doubt about her leaving him? Was it just a feeling he had? Pulling the reins taut, he tapped his heels into the sides of the horse, speeding their pace. When a sharp gasp issued from Krista, he glanced down at her.

Slapping her forehead, she let her mouth gape for some time. "I just realized something. You look like a cowboy with those spurs on your boots! What else is there I have not noticed?!" Somehow flipping around to face D while switching her legs so she was not twisted, she looked up at him, scrutinizing every little detail. Again, she gasped, a bit quieter than the first time. "I figured out something else! You have no…laugh lines. What is your damage?! Do you refrain from laughing or something? Laughing is healthy, or good for you. You need to laugh or at least smile! Come on, smile!" Nothing happened; no smile appeared on his face. "Oh, I see how you are. You're going to play this the hard way. Well, just you wait, I'll get you yet." Switching back to her previous position, she pondered over how she would get D to smile. '_I don't care how I accomplish this task, but I will make him smile_.'

_Dawn…_

Outlined against the sky as the sun slowly peeked above the horizon rested the town, the tower standing above all buildings there were. Each step the horse took brought them steadily closer to the town. Krista gaped up at the looming tower, awestruck at its sheer size. Implanted near the top was a clock, large enough for one to read the numbers miles away.

"You know what? It would really suck if many bolts of lightning struck the base of that tower, or some force blew it up, and it fell on top of half the town, squishing all the people upon landing. I wonder what pattern the blood would make," Krista stated nonchalantly, still staring up at the face of the tower.

"You think of strange, perhaps even gruesome or morbid, things. Did you know that?" Hand whispered, forcing D's grip on the reins to slacken as he stretched out the long fingers.

Watching D's wrist rotate to expose Hand's features, Krista gave a beaming smile. "Why, yes; yes I did. At times, I even like to think of myself as evil," she replied, casting a look over her shoulder at D, whom simply looked ahead. Had he been staring at her?

"With some of the songs that you sing, you could be a professional torturer! What do you think, D?"

Staying silent, D continued to stare towards the town. It was not until they passed the large clock tower that his eyes riveted themselves to hers. He watched Krista's expressions for the longest while before parting his lips to speak. "With the last song, you very well could be."

"The song itself was bad, or my voice?" Krista inquired, her steady gaze warning him not to go too far. Laughter filled the air, and she returned her eyes to Hand.

"I would say both sounded like a dying cat!" As the last word left Hand's wrinkled lips, all laughter immediately ceased. Hand now stared upon the crestfallen countenance of Krista.

"That was uncalled for," she stated, her voice cracking. She rubbed at her eyes, stopping the leakage of unwanted tears. "You could have stopped at 'both'." Here she turned to stare at D once again. "So, tell me what your plans are for this town?" she suggested.

"You will see," D stated, scanning the buildings they passed. Up ahead of them, a shopkeeper was tiredly sweeping at the entrance to his store. As he pulled the horse to a halt, he stared up at the sign. The shop appeared to be a clothing store. "Are you open?"

Jumping as though he just noticed the two were there, the old man nodded slowly, straightening up the best his back would allow. "Are you in need of my services? You can buy clothing right off the rack or I can take measurements and make your clothes."

As Krista turned to look at him, D gave the smallest of nods, signaling that she was to go in and look or get measurements. What she did next, he did not expect. Her arm slipped around his neck, and he was unable to prevent her from pulling him to her rather hastily.

"Thank you, D," Krista whispered into his ear. "Will you come inside in a bit? Maybe you can help me decide what all I need to get." Suddenly she jerked back, confusion and embarrassment coating her features. "Well, that sounded odd or awkward. But anyways, will you come in after you are done with what you might be doing?" When she received another nod, she slowly slid from the saddle and disappeared into the store.

D nudged the horse on, earning a light snort as if it was asking, "Where did she go?" Patting the creature's head in a way that could be called reassuring, D guided it to the stables. Taking the saddle and bags, he headed for the small tavern down the street.

**000**

If she was not, in any way, considerate, clothes might have been strung out across the store in her attempt to find her size. Instead, Krista lifted up another pair of breeches before giving an agitated sigh, placing them back on their rightful shelf. "If I did not know better, I would think that the world was out to get me…"

After searching through every rack, some at least twice, she grudgingly shuffled up to the counter where the elder resided. "I am sorry, but how much would it cost for you to take the measurements and make the clothes? You do not have anything my size, except for a skirt."

"Not as much as you would expect," the old man replied, moving around the counter to stand before her. He whipped out a measuring tape faster than one would think possible. "Stand up strait and hold out yer arms." In no time at all, he was finished and walking to the back of the store. "I can basically guess what colour you want and the design," he called back.

Krista started, not sure of what to say. "Uh…can you give me a…guess at when they will be done?"

"I may look old, but I can still sew fast enough." the elder replied, coming back into the same room. "The shirts will take a little bit…and the jeans will take longer than them…so if I rush, I can probably get them to ya by tomorrow evening. Or the next morn… I would count more on that."

A smile lit Krista's face. "Thank you, so much!" She barely heard the amount to be paid, giving it without truly thinking. Bounding from the store, she fell back as her body hit something akin to stone. Glancing up from the ground, she smiled sheepishly at D. "Sorry!" Standing quickly, she dusted herself off before looking around. She leaned in towards D, shaking slightly, knocking her voice to a whisper. "So, now will you tell me what we are going to _do_?!" The last word came out as a high-pitched shriek. Covering her mouth, she gave a mumbled apology.

Watching Krista in a contemplative fashion, D gestured for her to follow. For training her, they needed to be secluded, or at least away from others, a place where no one else would be for a while. Strangely enough, such a place was in the middle of the town, which he had seen walking back to the store: a park. People would show up at some point, but it was too early. There was a sharp tug on his hand when said park came into view. He could feel Krista's anxiety rolling from her in waves, and knew that she knew that this would not be a play-day.

"You are training me some _more_ today, aren't you?"

"You're smarter than people give you credit for," Hand replied. "How did you guess?"

Continuing to walk alongside D, she took a short amount of time to think about the answer, not truly catching the meaning of Hand's statement. "Well, I was thinking, 'Since when does a guy like D…go to a park where no one else is…just to play?' It seemed like a very good answer to me; he is training me."

Silence reigned over the conversation, leaving the sound of their steps against the cobblestone street and the swish of their coat and cloak. As D suspected, the park was deserted. A basic carousel, numerous poles and rails, a raised platform that could serve as a stage, a slide, seesaws, a swing set, and a jungle gym resided there.

After looking over the equipment, Krista looked warily at D. "So, how are we going to train here?"

D's reply was simple. "Balance."

Again, Krista stared at the equipment, this time confused. "I can see how you got balance out of the poles and rails, but what about the rest of this stuff?" She paused, looking over at the carousel. The light in her head flickered on. "Are you expecting me to try to stand in the middle of that Merry-Go-Round and stay upright? Do you know how_ hard_ that is? Have _you_ ever tried?" At this, she received a nod. "Can you stay standing without stumbling?" Again, there was a nod. She sighed. "Fine; when do we start?"

"Now," D replied. He pulled her to the carousel, gesturing for her to stand in the middle as he took his place near one of the bars.

"You aren't going to go very fast are you?" Krista inquired. There was no reply. "I really do not like it when you don't answer."

Watching in silence as D grabbed the bar; Krista braced herself, expecting D to begin running right off. Instead, he began to walk. By the time he began to jog, she began to stumble. It was a wonder that when he ran she did not fall. A few more moments later, she could no longer see the surrounding scenery and D became a blur. She lurched into the bar, trying desperately to force herself straight.

"Do not use the rails," D commanded, picking up speed, once more.

"Easy for…you to say," she replied with a strained grunt. Pushing apart her feet, she tried to stand, again. When the direction of the spinning reversed, her feet fell out from under her.

"Stand up."

"I'm trying…" Drawing up her legs, Krista shoved herself up. This was the wrong idea. As soon as her feet touched the metal center of the carousel, they were out before her, and she was flipping over the edge, nearly flying.

Stopping abruptly, leaving the carousel to spin wildly, D watched Krista spring to her feet nearly two yards away and rub her backside.

"I have butt burn!" Running around frantically, she searched for a place to hide. "Turn around!" she finally squeaked, waiting long enough for D to turn before reaching under her dress to remove her armor and stretch out her underwear.

"Kid, what are you doing?" Hand asked.

Still digging grass and dirt out of her underwear, Krista replied, "I have dirt…and grass…in my panties!"

Minutes passed before D could turn around, once more. His eyes scanned the park, landing on Krista next to a large tree, her dress off as she beat it frantically against the tree. "Bad idea?" he inquired after striding to her.

"Bad idea," Krista agreed, carefully turning her dress out-side out. As she tried to slide the dress on, all her movements ceased. A cold hand was carefully wiping her back in slow, long strokes. Cocking her head enough to see D, she knew immediately that it was not his left hand. '_So, Hand is not controlling his actions. How odd._'

When looking at the Hunter's face, one could only wonder at what his thoughts and feelings were.

"D, it will wash off with a good shower later."

"I know," D replied, never stilling his hand.

Cheeks flushing a bright red, Krista asked, "Then why don't you stop?" She received no answer. It was questionable whether he even knew the answer. There was no need for him to stop his careful strokes, however, when his hand ventured too far. Dropping her dress, in one leap Krista managed to latch onto the tree thirty feet above the ground. Before realizing what she was doing, she bared her teeth at D and hissed.

Executing moves one might expect from a gymnast, D fluidly glided from branch to branch, stopping in a crouched position just above Krista. As her eyes stared up at him, he noticed only one thing. "Your eyes are blue."

The way her eyes varied in colour made even him wonder what caused the change. Was the change due to her genetics or instincts? Was there something else that changed the colour?

"Hmm…are they really?" The short loss of concentration revert her eyes to green, her fingers releasing their death grip instantly. With a piercing shriek, Krista began plummeting toward the ground, stopped only when D caught her wrist, his hat fluttering past her.

With no exertion on his part, D pulled Krista up to the branch from which he hung upside-down. In another moment, he was discarding his coat and reaching for the clasps on Krista's cloak.

"Oi! What are you doing?!"

"It would be better training if I left your cloak, but I figure it would be a hindrance." At that, D let her cloak drop to the ground. Pulling himself into a seated position, he waited for Krista to sit beside him.

Clutching at the branch as she clawed herself up, she said, "I sure am asking a lot of questions. Okay, so it is time to talk! How are you doing this fine morn? Dang! That is a question, too! Umm, well, I thought that those swingy movements you were doing earlier were dandy! I didn't know that you could do that. I should have expected no less from you." She uttered the last sentence affectionately as she seated herself with finality. Turning to look at D, she watched him shift his eyes away from her.

Leaning back, D calmly stated, "If you reach the top first, then we shall stop. If I reach the top before you, then we do this until you beat me. The rule is that there is no climbing."

"Okay, let's do this!" When D said go, Krista watched in awe as D launched himself to the nearest branch overhead, his hands sliding over the bark as he revolved around the limb. "I guess I should go now," she whispered as D released the branch, flipping once before landing on the next one.

"Yup, time to start." Staring at the neighboring branches, she soon became befuddled. "I don't know how he expects me to do this. I don't even know how I jumped so high earlier." With a sigh, she leapt for a nearby branch, doing the same movements as D. '_I can do this,_' she thought unconvincingly, not landing on the next branch, but instead, slamming into it.

At hearing a light chuckle, she glanced up, seeing D in a relaxed stance midway to the top, his left hand fisting. '_I cannot lose_!' Crouching low on the bough, Krista leapt for the one nearest D. Grabbing it and swinging herself up, she carefully stood, meeting D's gaze. Breaking the stare to look up, one thought came to her mind: '_I am not doing this all bloody day_.'

If one were to stand a good distance from the tree, they would have wondered how the two moved in a rhythmic, synchronized fashion, both coming closer to the top with each passing second. There was a victorious shout as the smaller figure reached the top a fraction of a second before the broader one.

"Yes! I actually beat you!"

"Now go back down."

Looking down in dismay, Krista calculated how far it was to the earth. "Umm, I think I'll pass."

Never did she believe D to go so far as grabbing her hand and leaping from the branch, pulling her with him. Brittle leaves slapping at their faces and the approaching ground was enough to spur Krista into motion. She reached out for a passing branch, swinging up until her legs wrapped around it close to the base, effectively ceasing their fall.

"D, I do believe that you have a loose bolt somewhere in your head. That could have forced the organs from my body, and then when it gets warm, the organs would start to smell rancid! From there, maggots would have started to wriggle around in my flesh and eat away at it! And then, knowing some of the luck I can have, I might have come back to life, walking around with the leftover meat **dripping from my bones**!"

"No, wandering beasts would have eaten your remains," D stated, earning him a wary glance.

"I seriously hope that was not an attempt at humor."

With the lightest of sighs, D placed his right hand against the tree, the left still gripping her hand. He thrust his foot up, the branch splintering as it snapped behind Krista's legs. As they fell once more, D released her hand, leaping from branch to branch. Landing upon the ground, he glanced up when a small droplet of blood struck him.

Krista lie doubled over a branch, violently coughing. Pushing herself back, she dropped to the earth, her knees buckling instantly. "You turd," she mumbled, stumbling to her feet. In another moment, she was pushing D toward the carousel, forcing him to sit down on it. She grabbed a bar, running before jumping on when she deemed it fast enough.

"I have a question. Can males get pregnant or is it only females?"

"Where the heck did that come from, kid?" Hand inquired before D could try to answer.

"I dunno. A question I suppose I might have thought about a while back." She turned her gaze to D expectantly. "Do you know?"

There was a long pause, giving Krista time to spin the carousel again. When she was seated, D replied, "Not usually, but some males do have the ability, depending on genetics."

"Can you get pregnant?!" she shrieked excitedly. Her demeanor quickly turned dejected as D gave her the slightest of glares. "Well, I was just curious. It is not as if I was going to say 'D! Become pregnant!' if you had said yes. Well, I cannot really say that because I would probably be standing outside the bathroom yelling, 'If it is a girl, can I dress her in pink?' And do you know what I just realized? I don't know how babies are even made."

Lurching forward as the carousel stopped abruptly, Krista glanced up to see D standing. Beyond him, however, she could only see the large back dog with bright blue eyes sniffing at the ground. Harebrained as she was, it came as no surprise when she squealed, "Puppy!" while zipping past D. Her excited squeals did not cease as the dog snarled at her, teeth bared.

"It is okay, boy," she whispered as she held out her hand. The hound whimpered the closer her hand came to its muzzle, bringing a frown to her face. "I'm not going to hurt you." It clearly thought otherwise as it snapped open its jaw and bit her with razor sharp teeth. Blood ran down her hand and from the dog's mouth. "That really hurts, buddy. Let go, please."

The dog seemed to bite down even harder at her request, another growl rising from its chest as D walked up behind Krista.

Metal scratching against metal centered Krista's attention on D. She watched wide-eyed as D removed his sword from its sheath. If his aura was not enough to cow the creature, his blade was the next best thing.

"You can't kill it!" she cried, shielding the dog. To her surprise, D replaced his sword. "Just give me a minute." With that said, she turned to the animal, watching as an extra pair of eyes opened above the other two, their colour the same electric blue. "You're not a normal puppy, are you?" Reaching out once more with the opposite hand, she hesitated only slightly before rubbing its ears. "Good boy, just don't bite me, anymore."

Ceasing its growling, the creature glanced up at her with all four eyes. It gradually opened its mouth, allowing her to cradle her hand.

"Thank you," Krista said as she kissed the top of the dog's head. As a result, she found herself pinned to the ground, the dog licking her face excitedly. Giggling, she looked up at D. "Come on, try to pet him D. He is really sweet when yo-oh, ew! Tongue in mouth! Tongue in mouth!" Carefully pushing the dog away, she sat up, raking her tongue against the neck of her dress. "I'm flattered, really, but that was disgusting."

As Krista continued to scrub her tongue, D slowly crouched beside the dog. He patted its head before sliding his hand to the beast's belly. Immediately, it dropped to its side and rolled onto its back, seeming to smile at the attentions.

Looking over his shoulder as Krista leaned against him, D quietly asked, "What is it that you want?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can tell you want something by the look in your eyes."

"Well, how disappointing it is to be read so easily. Wait… Didn't we go through this all ready? Yes, we did. Well, I was wondering, though, since I obviously can't keep the dog, if we could at least feed it."

"If you climb to the top of the tree and fall, then you can feed it," Hand suggested.

"I am not doing that," she replied acerbically, glaring down at the forming, smirking face in D's left hand. She glanced back at D, her eyes shining innocently. "Please may I feed it? Oh! He could be a guardian!"

"You may feed it, but do not become attached."

"Yay! Thank you, D! Leap-Frog!" With that, she squatted low behind D, making a clear jump of him and the canine. "Who's the good puppy?" she asked excitedly, swiftly scratching the dog with both hands. Glancing up long enough to meet D's eyes, she quickly stopped her attentions. "Oops, right, I can't get attached."

Looking down at the dog, her eyes gradually widened. Hand twitching, she rose her wide eyes to D.

"Fine," D said when she gave the tiniest of whines, watching her continue the scratching and rubbing.

"Is it getting hard to say no to her, D?" the countenanced carbuncle asked softly.

Instead of replying, D cast his eyes to the sky, watching the sun inch ever closer to the center. Was it all ready so late in the day? It evidently was, for both the dog and Krista's stomachs growled.

"Man, all ready hungry and we just ate what seems like not all that long ago."

The dog lifted its head up, playfully nibbling Krista's hand before barking excitedly. "Well, that settles it!"

Patting her leg as she stood, Krista followed D toward the playground exit after they both retrieved and replaced their items from the base of the tree, the dog tagging obediently along. "Okay, you said I can't get attached to the pooch, right? Well, can I at least name him?"

At the silent nod, Krista glanced down at the dog, a peculiar gleam in her eyes. "What do you think of Billy?" The gleam faded as it shook its head no. "No? Man, that's a good name, too. Um, what about Fido?" Again, it was a no. "Spencer? Harry? Conner? Dane? Bob? Drake? Alexander? Allan? Artemis? Edgar? Po? Demetri? Dog? Cat? Sniffles? Four-Eyes? Pop? Jacob? Don? Edward? Paul? John? Nicholas? Eric? Fluffy?!" With each one, she earned another no. "Fine, Dante?"

The hound hesitated before shaking his head. "You hesitated! Am I getting closer?" With a nod, it bit D's coat and pulled, effectively stopping D.

"Damien," D muttered, staring down at the dog. It licked his hand, nudging him with his nose as D lightly scratched his head.

The name Damien triggered a thought in Krista's psyche.

"Hey, D? Your name, does it stand for Damien? Or does it stand for something else, like your father's name?"

D shot a quick look at Krista. "I think you should wonder about other things."

Ducking her head, she quietly mumbled, "I'm sorry, I won't ask again. But, why am I not allowed to get attached to Damien?"

"He could be attacked by another creature or Human and die," D replied.

Looking back up, Krista replaced her smile. "You could die like that, too. And yet, I still grew attached to you. Besides, I have a feeling that he shall be around for a little while," she predicted.

"How long is a little while?"

"Around a year for Damien and one month over two years for y-…"

A leaden silence settled between them. With a sob, she clutched D's hand as her knees suddenly grew weak, the severity of her words dawning on her. "D, I don't want you or Damien to die."

"How do you know we will die?" D asked, gently lowering Krista to the ground and crouching before her.

"I've done this before. I did it at Puregon right before people started 'disappearing'. I see someone, wonder when their time is up, and estimates start popping into my head." She rubbed her eyes, wiping away the forming tears.

"Were your predictions dead on?" Hand asked.

"Yeah, for the most part. The first person was Haley Barnette. She was really sick and, again, I wondered when her time would come. One day is what popped into my head. One day it was."

D gazed steadily at her. "Despite what some believe, a person's fate can be altered. Sometimes, it cannot. We may not die at those times."

Strength and hope flooded Krista. "Then, if it is within my power, I will alter both of yours."

Nodding, D easily picked her up and set her on her feet. With a jerk of his chin, he headed for the tavern. Wind suddenly gusted over his head, tousling hair normally guarded by his hat. Krista flew past him, travelers' hat atop her head. Damien chased her, stopping abruptly. Looking ahead of Krista, D could see why.

Giggling, Krista called out, "D, I seriously don't know how you see with this thing on!" Vision impaired, she did not see the rail in her path. It clipped her by the chest. She flipped onto her back, removing D's hat as she shook her head. When D stood above her, hovering, she smiled sheepishly at him. "Sorry, I likes jacking your hat."

When Krista stumbled to her feet and ran, still clutching his hat, D leapt over the rail. Briefly, he regarded her mood swings before giving chase. How was she able to go from near crying to wide-eyed and carefree so quickly?

Although he knew she was changing with each passing day, he did not truly think her able to gain so much ground in so little time: eighty yards in four seconds. What was he expecting, though, after watching her jump up the tree? He soon passed the tavern, gradually nearing her. Casting his gaze ahead, D could make out the silhouette of a large wall. He doubted Krista could see it with the hat obscuring her view. Damien trotted along behind them, barking happily.

Still giggling like a child, Krista forced herself to run even faster. Her lungs burned and her legs ached. True to D's thoughts, she could not see the wall looming ahead of her. Something pulled at the back of her mind. A voice was telling her to slow down, stop, or turn. When she did not, her left arm and leg twitched, both suddenly locking up and cramping. It did not help her, though, that this all stopped her too late.

With a smack, she hit the wall, a crunching noise soon following. Head throbbing with pain, she fell backwards onto the ground. She clasped her right hand over her nose beneath the hat, and could have sworn she saw coloured lights dot her black vision.

Walking up behind her, D reached down to pluck the hat from her head. With her face revealed, his breath hitched in his throat. Blood trickled between Krista's fingers and down from her brow, lightly smeared on her cheeks. He watched as she sat up, more blood gushing out beneath her hand. Something akin to hunger rose within him, glowing eyes fixated on her blood as it continued to drip onto her chest and dress.

Standing, Krista tipped her head back while muttering. Never did she think it possible for her to run into a wall, and yet there she stood with a busted lip, brow, and nose to prove it. '_I suppose it's just my day. __**Well, I did try to warn you. Heck, I even tried to stop you. And I think it's your **_**lucky**_** day.**__ What makes you think that? __**Look at D.**_' Krista shot a sidelong glance at D, gawking as she noted how close D was. She coughed, blood spraying her all ready bloody hand. "What are you doing?"

"You can choke on your blood," he stated as he slid his hand through her hair. Fingers twining with her hair, he carefully tipped her head down, the opposite hand removing hers to set her broken nose. Seconds later, the bleeding ceased. As she looked up at him with a small grin, he watched her busted lip and brow mend.

"Thanks," Krista muttered into her dress as she tried to scrub off the blood, cheeks burning red. Peeking at the wall, she mentally snickered. It looked as though someone committed a murder, what with the amount of blood there. Droplets sprayed the wall where she hit it and dyed the ground crimson in spots.

There was a rip. Looking down, Krista noticed her dress did not emit the noise. A wet cloth pressed against her brow, gently wiping away all blood. She glanced at D. "Thanks, D, but I can do it." D continued to wipe her clean, his face void of emotions. "I said I could do it."

D never ceased. Neither did Krista. She continued to protest, seeming more like a child. D simply ignored her, too busy trying to convince himself that if he did not clean her up and dilute the smell of the blood with water, he might attack her, bite and drain her.

'_Oh, don't fool yourself. We both know why you are cleaning her up, why you've been playing with her, why you've been breaking you back to teach her, why you've been a tad closer to this girl than with any other,_' Hand remarked, guffawing.

'_Are you done?_'

'_Maybe; I'll probably start up, again, later. I mean, seriously, you have been giving in to many of her whims, no matter what they are!_'

Even as D and Hand chatted, Krista continued to bicker and protest. All protesting quieted, however, when D backed her into the wall, ceasing entirely when his fingers wrapped around her chin.

"Stay still," ordered D, tilting her head back as he cleaned off the last of the blood.

Unable to stare up at him, Krista averted her eyes. Butterflies filled her belly and, as impossible as it may seem, her heart skipped. '_**See, I told you it was your lucky day!**__ What are you going on about now? __**Oh, come on! I know that you have noticed the way he is getting closer!**__ Has he?_' At this, Krista glanced up. She expected him to be close. However, she did not expect him to be as close as he was. His breath, uneven, flowed across her lips. Even with only a few inches between their lips, she took notice to how he gradually continued to lean in. "D, what are you doing?"

'_**What are **_**you **_**doing?!**_' the phantom voice shrieked.

Eyes widening, D reared back, hair whipping about. He released his hold on her chin, glancing down long enough to notice Damien staring raptly at him, a knowing look within his eyes. He easily dismissed the matter for Krista with a shake of his head. For him, however, he simply pushed it to the back of his mind while Hand silently picked at him.

Was it the call of her blood and nothing more, or was it something else? With D so stoic and quiet, it was hard to tell.

D tipped his head towards the tavern, swiftly leading the way. Some might say he was avoiding the topic. Others might say he needed time to think everything over. Upon entering the tavern, he led them to a dark, deserted spot. As always, he ignored the obvious, heated stares.

"Um, D, where did Damien go?" Krista quietly asked as she sat.

At this, something gently pawed at D's leg. Casting his gaze down, he scrutinized the black puppy seated by his left foot, tail wiggling excitedly. Gingerly picking the pup up, he held it out at Krista.

"Damien?" asked Krista.

Hearing its name, the puppy leapt from D's hand and plopped onto the table. When he managed to stand, Damien ran clumsily into Krista's open arms. He licked sloppily at her cheek while yipping, earning delighted giggles from her. Suddenly, his world became dark, shielded from view by Krista's cloak as she hastily stuffed him in.

"What can I get you two?" the approaching boy asked kindly, eyes lingering longer than necessary on Krista and in areas considered unacceptable by most.

Oblivious to the stare, she quietly requested a bowl of cherry tomatoes and a glass of water. D ordered a glass of water, as well, but he was not so oblivious. Eyes narrowed, a hushed growl escaped him.

The boy's skin, across the tavern by this time, chilled and became clammy. He glanced across the way, soon regretting it. A primal fear kept his eyes riveted to D's. Something warm trickled down his leg, and with a whimper, he flew towards the door. "Claire! Take my place, m'kay? M'kay!" He left, slamming the door behind himself.

Krista stared after the boy, confusion dominating her expression. "I wonder what his problem is." Glancing at D, she noticed the slight glare, his dark aura creating an eddy around them. "What's the matter?"

"It's nothing," D replied, his aura immediately leveling out.

Her stare skeptical, she shrugged, uncovering Damien on her lap. "Alright, whatever you say."

The replacement – Claire – came to their table, careful to avert her eyes as she placed the glasses of water and bowl of tomatoes before them. "I am sorry about Caine. I don't know why he was so scared. Is there anything else I can get for you two?"

"Not now, thank you," Krista replied, watching her walk away before grabbing a small tomato. "Do you like tomatoes, D?" At his nod, she bit into the end of hers, gaping when seeds squirted out the end and sprayed D. "Sorry, D," she giggled, popping the remainder of the tomato into her mouth. "Maybe the next one won't do that." With that, she bit into another tomato, once again chuckling as the innards sprayed D. "Well, fine, then!" she cried, picking up her third tomato.

D watched, plucking a nearby napkin from the table and holding it to his breast. She snapped her jaws shut, and D replayed the act in his mind, unsure of what he saw. Thinking it over, he knew his eyes had not deceived him; her canines sliced the tomato in half, all sharper than a Human's.

'_Oh, creepy, eh? The girl has fangs! It does not really narrow down what she is, but it might help in the future. Her eyes were glowing red at one point. That points to the Vampire side,_' Hand remarked.

'_While that is true, some Mutants and Shape-shifters are the same._'

'_So, you have no idea as to what she could be?_'

'_I have plenty of ideas, but none that I am sure of,_' D stated, reaching for one of two cherries in the bowl of tomatoes.

* * *

**AN:** I am so sorry that this took so long to spit out… and it is not even done yet! Please forgive me for the delay and if this chapter totally sucks. And also sorry for the choppy/randomness… Happy Christmas and Happy New Year!


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